Angela Rayner vows to 'step down' if found to have committed criminal offence over house sale

Angela Rayner has promised to "step down" if she is found to have committed a criminal offence over the sale of her house.

Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation into whether the Ashton-under-Lyne MP broke electoral law over information she gave about her living situation a decade ago.

Ms Rayner, who is deputy leader of the Labour Party, previously said she did nothing wrong when declaring her main residence, and insisted she followed the rules when selling her ex-council house in Stockport in 2015 - before she became an MP.

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Questions have been asked about whether the property was her main home, as well as if she paid the right amount of tax on the sale.

In a statement issued this evening, Ms Rayner again rejected allegations of any wrongdoing and said she was "completely confident" that she "followed the rules at all times".

She said: “I’ve repeatedly said I would welcome the chance to sit down with the appropriate authorities, including the police and HMRC, to set out the facts and draw a line under this matter. I am completely confident I’ve followed the rules at all times.

“I have always said that integrity and accountability are important in politics. That’s why it’s important that this is urgently looked at, independently and without political interference.

“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.

“We have seen the Tory Party use this playbook before – reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their record. I will say as I did before –