The Tory MP who made the complaint to police about Angela Rayner has failed to say what offence he thinks she has committed when pressed repeatedly on the BBC.
On Friday, Greater Manchester Police said it was investigating whether “any offences have been committed” over the Labour’s deputy leader’s sale of an ex-council house almost a decade ago.
The probe opened after a “reassessment of information” given to the police by deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, James Daly.
The force, which had previously said it would not launch an inquiry into the allegations, did not provide further details of its investigation.
On Monday, Daly appeared on the BBC’s Politics Live programme, and was quizzed by presenter Jo Coburn.
When Coburn asked “what crime do you think she has committed?”, Daly replied that the police should be allowed to “do their work”.
When asked what he has “brought to light”, Daly said: “I think they should be allowed to carry out that investigation”
Coburn responded: “I still don’t understand. What’s the offence that’s been committed?”
Daly would only say the police “are looking at a number of different offences”, and said they should be given “time and opportunity” to investigate.
When pressed further on whether the Tories were “running scared” of Rayner, he said: “I don’t want to comment on an ongoing police investigation”.
You can watch the full exchange below.
In 2010, after she got married, Rayner lived in an ex-council house in Stockport that she had bought in 2007.
According to a biography of Rayner by former Tory chairman Lord Ashcroft, she was registered on the electoral roll as living at the same address until she sold the property in 2015.
However, she is accused of actually living at her husband’s house nearby, leading to claims that the profit she made on her property should have been subject to capital gains tax.
On Friday, Rayner said she will “step down” as Keir Starmer’s deputy if she was found to have committed a crime.