Angela Rayner has spoken out in reaction to a police investigation into her conduct concluding that “no further action” will be taken.
The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, and the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, had been under investigation by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) since 12 April 2024, following initial media reports into her primary registered legal residence potentially breaching electoral rules, which were then back up by complaints made to the police service by James Daly – who is the Conservative MP for Bury North.
Stockport-born Rayner repeatedly denied the claims and reports, and said GMP had initially decided against looking into them, Sky News reports.
This was until Mr Daly provided “claims from neighbours”, which prompted police to investigate.
Following what was described as a “thorough, carefully-considered, and proportionate” police investigation, GMP released a formal statement yesterday concluding that it would be taken no further action into Ms Rayner’s alleged conduct.
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#UPDATE | Investigation into Angela Rayner MP concludes.
After a thorough, carefully considered and proportionate investigation, we have concluded that no further police action will be taken. pic.twitter.com/sYopDdgOIQ
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 28, 2024
The statement provided by a GMP spokesperson reads in full: “Following allegations about Angela Rayner MP, Greater Manchester Police has completed a thorough, carefully considered, and proportionate investigation
“We have concluded that no further police action will be taken.
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“The investigation originated from complaints made by Mr James Daly MP directly to GMP. Subsequent further contact with GMP by members of the public, and claims made by individuals featured in media reporting, indicated a strong public interest in the need for allegations to be investigated.
“Matters involving council tax and personal tax do not fall into the jurisdiction of policing. GMP has liaised with Stockport Council and information about our investigation has been shared with them. Details of our investigation have also been shared with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).”
Angela Rayner has broken her silence after a police investigation has concluded / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Since GMP’s conclusion that “no further police action will be taken” yesterday, there has been a growing number of calls, both from opposition and on social media, for HMRC to take matters from here and begin conducting its own investigation, following police claiming information has been shared with the authority.
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Angela Rayner has also broken her silence and spoken out for the first time following the conclusion of the police investigation.
She has thanked those “stood by” and “supported” her.
The Tories’ desperate tactics have been exposed for what they are and for all to see.
They’ve failed once again.
I am grateful to all those who have stood by and supported me.
My focus now is on securing the change Britain needs, with the election of a Labour government. 🌹
Taking to X yesterday evening to address the outcome of the investigation, Ms Rayner wrote: “The Tories’ desperate tactics have been exposed for what they are and for all to see.
“I am grateful to all those who have stood by and supported me. My focus now is on securing the change Britain needs, with the election of a Labour government.”
Featured Image – Flickr
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
29th May 2024 
