Rayner says she will resign if police find she committed crime over sale of her house

Angela Rayner has pledged to step down as deputy leader of the Labour party if a police investigation finds she has committed a crime, amid allegations of breaching electoral law and avoiding capital gains tax.

- Aletha Adu

Greater Manchester police (GMP) said yesterday that it was investigating the sale of her council house in March 2015. Rayner has been accused of giving false information about where she was living for the first five years of her marriage before she was elected as an MP in May 2015.

She also faces calls to publish the legal and tax advice she has received to prove she does not owe capital gains tax (CGT) of up to £1,500 on the profits of the sale of the council house. However, Rayner said she would only release the "personal" information if the Conservatives calling for her to do so published theirs. In a statement, 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.