'You know, I am Marmite' After house row ends, Rayner is ready to start the battlebus

Angela Rayner has been described as a huge electoral asset by Labour's campaign chief but until this week she has been one the party was unable to fully deploy.

- Pippa Crerar

For months Labour's deputy leader has faced questions about her former living arrangements, with the police investigating claims by the Tory party that she may not have paid the right amount of tax.

This week Greater Manchester police cleared her of any criminal wrongdoing, while the local council and HM Revenue and Customs both announced they were taking no further action. Rayner is, finally, let loose on the campaign trail.

"I'm going to [be] powering up my battlebus and going up and down the country making the case for a Labour government," she said gleefully. "I love campaigning and getting out to speak to people and I really feel like this is a time where people are calling out for change."

Despite her enthusiasm, she admitted the past few weeks have been tough. "It was very difficult personally, because I've never been in trouble and I've always tried to do the right thing," she said.

"While I was confident, it's also demoralising when your opponents use this as a tactic to try and stop you from carrying out your work. It was a complete distraction from the issues that face people of this country."

Rayner does not blame the police for investigating. She points the finger at the Tories, who have used the same election tactic against Labour on several occasions.