Andy Burnham will not take part in police investigation into Angela Rayner
It is a conflict of interest for Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester who also acts as police and crime commissioner.
Police investigating whether Angela Rayner broke electoral law
Andy Burnham has confirmed he will not be involved in the police investigation into Angela Rayner.
The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester said he will not take part amid concerns about a potential conflict of interest as he has political oversight of the force carrying out the probe.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is investigating whether Labour's deputy leader broke electoral law after allegations she may have given false information about her main residence a decade ago.
Ms Rayner has also faced questions over whether she should have paid capital gains tax on the 2015 sale of her former council house in Stockport due to confusion over whether it was her principal residency.
Asked if Mr Burnham would commit not to take a public stance on the issue, a spokesman said: “In line with established practice and for the avoidance of doubt, neither the Mayor nor the deputy Mayor have had, nor will have, any involvement in this investigation. It is a purely operational matter for GMP.”
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Chris Clarkson, the Tory MP for Heywood and Middleton, said it was important Mr Burnham “does not take any public position on this or appear with her until the inquiry is concluded”.
He told the Mail on Sunday: “It’s not just about justice being done but also about justice being seen to be done.”
Ms Rayner was backed by Mr Bunrham when she stood to be Labour's deputy leader.
She wrote on Facebook in January 2020: “Great news that Andy Burnham announced today in my Ashton-under-Lyne constituency that he is backing me for deputy leader of the Labour Party… The support is very much appreciated Andy.”
The pair also performed a karaoke song together at the Labour conference in 2021.
Ms Rayner has promised to resign if she is found to have committed a crime over the accusations about her previous living situation but said she "followed the rules at all times".
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP has insisted she lived separately from her then-husband at her ex-council house in Vicarage Road after they married in 2010 after claims surfaced in an unauthorised biography by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft.
But neighbours have claimed she did live with Mark Rayner at his property about a mile away on Lowndes Lane.
GMP initially said it was not investigating the row but reassessed the information and launched a probe following a complaint from Tory deputy chairman James Daly.
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: “The Mayor in Greater Manchester has, as part of his responsibilities, the role of Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester. These statutory responsibilities are set out in the Policing Protocol Order 2023.
“This legislation sets out what comes under the remit of the police force, headed by the Chief Constable, and what comes under the Police and Crime Commissioner.
“Under statute, the Mayor is accountable to the electorate of Greater Manchester for the delivery of an efficient and effective police service, holding the Force to account for its performance. He sets the budget and strategic direction for the Force, supported by the Chief Constable.
“Under the same statute, the Chief Constable of the Force is set out as operationally independent of the Police and Crime Commissioner and retains full responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the police force they lead. The Mayor cannot instruct them on how to carry out their duties, such as setting out what to investigate or what action to take.
“This therefore means that the Mayor, or anyone that they delegate any of their responsibilities to, is unable to direct the police to initiate or not initiate investigations, steer the conduct of any investigations that they undertake or influence them in any other way. They are only able to scrutinise and hold these actions to account.
“Therefore, the Mayor has no direct involvement in investigations that the Greater Manchester Police initiate and any public statement on the direction of an investigation is reserved for the Chief Constable and their officers.”
