READ MORE:Angela Rayner has said she will 'of course do the right thing and step down' if she is found to have committed a crime as police investigate claims that she may have broken electoral law.
But after finding no evidence of wrongdoing in their initial probe, Greater Manchester Police this morning reversed its decision not to look into where the Ashton-under-Lyne MP was registered to vote, after an appeal by the Conservatives to take another look. 'I make no apologies for having held Conservative ministers to account in the past. Indeed, the public would rightly expect me to do so as a Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the police investigation into Ms Rayner's council house sale and said he had 'full confidence' that she had not broken the rules. Ms Rayner re-registered the births of their two sons at her husband's address after marrying Mark Rayner in 2010, according to Lord Ashcroft's unofficial biography.
The claims first emerged in Red Queen? The Unauthorised Biography of Angela Rayner by Lord Ashcroft, serialised in the Mail. 'We mutually decided to maintain our existing residences to reflect our circumstances. Every family is different but it worked for us and we brought up our boys in a caring environment, surrounded by love.
James Daly, MP for Bury North, asked Greater Manchester Police to look into whether Ms Rayner breached electoral law over her living arrangements following her 2010 marriage. 'This is something which is a serious matter, it's important that it's looked into properly and I welcome the idea that the police are doing that.'