Angela Rayner council home mystery deepens after her dad says she ‘flitted’ between her house & husband’s property
ANGELA Rayner’s dad has cast doubt over her claims in her home sale tax row.
Martin Bowen said the Deputy Labour leader was flitting in and out of the property, bringing into question her defence from allegations she dodged capital gains tax.
He said that she moved between her home and that of her then-husband, Mark, half a mile away.
Mr Bowen, 68, said: “She was flitting, if you know what I mean.
“She was in between.
“Stranger things happen.
“On a personal view, if it were me I think I’d have probably gone, ‘I’ll pay the £1,500 or whatever it is, there’s an error, make my apologies and if it’s not then you give me my money back.’
“That’s what you do don’t you, you say it’s a fair cop, but I’ve not spoken with our Angela.
“It’s not like it was a massive amount.
“In the scheme of things, it’s nothing.
“Would she stick her head above the parapet for £1,500? I wouldn’t.”
But asked if he thought his daughter had done something deliberately wrong, he said: “No.”
Ms Rayner is being investigated by police and HMRC over whether she lived at her ex-council house in Vicarage Road, Stockport.
She claimed it was her main residence when it sold in 2015, allowing her to avoid paying capital gains tax of up to £3,500.
She has denied any wrongdoing and a Labour source insisted the house was “her main home”.
But Conservative Party Deputy Chairman Jonathan Gullis said: “This raises more questions about Ms Rayner and her council home.
“She should come clean about what was going on.
“The easiest way to do that is by publishing the legal advice that supposedly exonerates her.”
Earlier this month, Greater Manchester Police said it was re-opening its investigation after a complaint by Tory Party deputy chairman James Daly.
Ms Rayner has said she has consulted tax and legal experts and claimed that the Vicarage Road house was her “principal property”, although she also spent time at her husband’s Lowndes Lane property.
She has previously spoken about having had a difficult relationship with her father while growing up.
Mr Bowen also revealed his daughter let her brother Darren, 46, live at the property.
He added: “She said, ‘You can stay at mine if you want’.
“She wasn’t a landlady.
“He was her brother, for goodness sake, and he didn’t pay anything to stay there.”
Mr Bowen also disclosed her son, Ryan, moved into Mark’s home after she gave birth prematurely to a son who spent eight months in hospital.
He said: “Ryan, her eldest, moved in as he and Mark get on very well.
“Angela used to visit but she was living at Vicarage.
“There was work going on so she needed to be there.”
‘Made it clear’
Ms Rayner bought the house at a discount under the Right To Buy scheme which the Tories introduced.
She sold the property for £127,500, making a £48,000 profit.
She was not liable for the tax as it was listed as her main residence.
But HMRC says married couples or civil partners can only count one property as their primary residence.
A Labour spokesperson said: “Angela has always made it clear she also spent time at her husband’s property when they had children.
“The house she owned remained her main home.
“Angela looks forward to sitting down with the authorities to draw a line under this.”
