Statement from Lord Ashcroft concerning Angela Rayner’s decision to publish an autobiography

Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For more information on his work, visit lordashcroft.com. This article appeared first in the Kyiv Post.

In February 2024, I published Red Queen?, an unauthorised biography of Angela Rayner MP. Using public documents, the book established that Rayner and her husband, Mark Rayner, claimed to live in separate houses in Stockport, Greater Manchester, for the first five years of their marriage – and that during this period Angela Rayner’s brother, Darren, claimed he lived with Mark Rayner and his sister’s children. Although the electoral roll confirmed these unorthodox arrangements, I also discovered that Angela Rayner re-registered her sons’ births in October 2010 – a month after her wedding to Mark – and that their new birth certificates stated that she did, after all, live with her husband. Her handwritten signature proved as much.

Further research revealed that in 2007 – three years before she married Mark Rayner – Angela Rayner had bought her own house under the right-to-buy scheme with a £26,000 discount and sold it in 2015 at a £48,500 profit. As Rayner oversaw Labour’s housing policy when my book was published in 2024, and because she had talked openly about her plan to cut right-to-buy discounts for others if Labour won the next election (without advertising the fact that she had benefited from the scheme herself), the history of her living arrangements and property interests fell squarely into the public interest.

When detailed questions about this were put to Angela Rayner in February 2024 – including a specific request for her to state where she lived between 2007 and 2015; why she gave her address as her husband’s house when re-registering her children’s birth certificates in October 2010, even though this appeared to conflict with her declaration on the electoral register; and why her brother Darren was listed as living with Mark Rayner for several years – the following statement was issued on her behalf by a Labour Party spokesman:

“While Belize-based Tory billionaire Lord Ashcroft kicks out at those who graft to get on in life, Labour supports the principle that if you live in a council house and work hard you should have the opportunity to own your own home. We have committed to reviewing the unfair discounts introduced by the Conservatives in 2012, but Angela’s purchase long predates that and was done by the book. While the Tories have shattered the dream of home ownership, Labour will deliver the biggest boost to affordable, social and council housing for a generation. Angela, who had an older child from a previous relationship, and her husband maintained their existing residences before moving into their shared marital home. Their son was born just 23 weeks into her pregnancy and spent eight months in intensive care, requiring ongoing support from a wide network of friends and family, including Angela’s brother. It’s clear that Lord Ashcroft takes an unhealthy interest in Angela’s family, but beyond the smears, there is no suggestion any rules have been broken.”

Angela Rayner failed to answer straightforward questions concerning apparently conflicting pieces of information listed on public documents. And instead of responding, a Labour spokesman acting on her behalf used a statement to launch a personal attack on me – while falsely accusing me of smearing her.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I, for one, look forward to reading in Angela Rayner’s forthcoming autobiography a full account of her living arrangements and property interests going back to 2007. I would also like to remind Rayner’s ghostwriter that my book stuck solely to the facts detailed on public documents in this regard. No accusations or smears were made. Legitimate questions were asked, but satisfactory answers were not supplied.