I won’t take part in Rayner investigation, says Andy Burnham
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Andy Burnham has insisted he will not be involved in the police investigation into Angela Rayner, amid concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester confirmed he will have no involvement in the inquiry after he was urged not to take a “public position”, given he has political oversight of the force carrying out the investigation.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is looking into claims Labour’s deputy leader wrongly declared which house was her permanent address on the electoral roll, which is a criminal offence.
The deputy Labour leader has also faced questions about whether she should have paid capital gains tax on the 2015 sale of her council house owing to the confusion over whether it was her principal residency.
As mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham has political oversight of GMP and acts as effective police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the part of Stockport where Ms Rayner resided, along with his deputy, Kate Green.
The role of a PCC is to be “the voice of the people and hold the police to account”.
Asked if Mr Burnham would commit not to take a public stance on the issue, a spokesman for the mayor 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.”
Chris Clarkson, the Tory MP for Heywood and Middleton, told the Mail on Sunday it was important Mr Burnham “does not take any public position on this or appear with her until the inquiry is concluded”.
He added: “It’s not just about justice being done but also about justice being seen to be done.”
Mr Burnham and Ms Rayner appear to get on well, having performed a karaoke duet together at the Labour conference in 2021.
In 2022, the Labour frontbencher showed off her dance moves behind the turntables at a charity DJ battle organised by the mayor.
When Ms Rayner stood to be deputy leader, she said she was pleased to have Mr Burnham’s support, writing on Facebook: “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.”
Ms Rayner has previously said the council house row was manufactured in an attempt to “smear” her ahead of a probable Labour general election victory.
