Angela Rayner's ex-aide makes bombshell statement to police in council house row

By Katie Harris, Political Reporter

Police investigating whether Angela Rayner broke electoral law

Angela Rayner's former aide has written to police contradicting her claims in the row over her previous living arrangements.

Matt Finnegan gave a statement to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) saying he visited her at her then-husband's address in Lowndes Lane, Stockport, in 2014.

The ex-staffer said there was "no doubt in my mind that this was Ms Rayner's family home".

The Labour deputy leader has insisted she lived separately at her ex-council house about a mile away in Vicarage Road.

It comes as GMP is investigating whether Ms Rayner, who denies any wrongdoing, broke electoral law after allegations that she may given false information about her main residence a decade ago.

Mr Finnegan's statement, reported by the Sunday Times, said: “There was no doubt in my mind that this was Ms Rayner’s family home, where she lived with her then-husband, Mark.

“I remember it quite vividly because Ms Rayner was not at home at first and I had to wait for some time in my car before she eventually arrived.

"It was also memorable in that it was the first and only time I visited her home during the course of my voluntary work for her.”

Mr Finnegan left Ms Rayner's employment with a £20,000 payout and non-disclosure agreement after accusing her of disability discrimination and unfair dismissal.

Ms Rayner may owe capital gains tax on the 2015 sale of her former council house if it was not her main residence.

The Labour politician has promised to resign if she is found to have committed a crime over the accusations.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the police investigation into Ms Rayner's living arrangements and said he had "full confidence" in her.

GMP initially said it would not be investigating the allegations but reassessed information and launched a probe following a complaint from Tory deputy chairman James Daly.

A Labour spokesperson said: "Angela has always made clear she also spent time at her husband's property when they had children and got married, as he did at hers.

"The house she owned remained her main home.

"Angela looks forward to sitting down with the appropriate authorities, including the police and HMRC, to set out the facts and draw a line under this matter."