LABOUR’S deputy leader Angela Rayner could be interviewed under caution by police in the coming weeks over which of her two homes was her main residence, it has been claimed.
Rayner has been contacted by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to arrange an interview at a date and time to be agreed by both, The Sun on Sunday reported.
The paper claimed the interview would almost certainly be conducted at a local police station in Manchester and she would be questioned under caution.
The case centres around a former council house Rayner bought in Stockport for £79,000 under right-to-buy before becoming an MP. She then sold it in 2015 for £127,500.
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She had claimed that the house was her main residence, thereby legally avoiding a capital gains tax bill of up to £3500.
Police are investigating whether Rayner wrongly declared her permanent address on the electoral roll, which is a criminal offence.
She is facing questions around whether she actually moved in with her ex-husband after getting married in 2010.
Rayner has previously said that she has been looking forward to “sitting down with the appropriate authorities” in order to “draw a line under this matter”.
A Labour spokesperson said on Sunday: “Angela has been clear that she will co-operate with any investigation. We do not plan to give a running commentary.
“We remain completely confident that Angela has complied with the rules at all times and it’s now appropriate to let the police do their work.”
The force has reportedly written to Rayner’s constituency office in Ashton-under-Lyne to arrange the interview.
The police inquiry had been shut down but was restarted after James Daly, the Conservative MP for Bury North, requested its reopening when further information came to light.
Last month the Chief Constable of GMP said police were investigating multiple allegations and the probe was not limited to breaches of electoral law.
Rayner has said she will quit her post if she is found guilty, but has said she remains confident she has done nothing wrong.
In a statement last month she said: “I am completely confident I’ve followed the rules at all times.”
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