The police chief overseeing the investigation into Angela Rayner has spoken out, saying the probe will not be drawn into "political spats".
The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, Stephen Watson, said the force would investigate allegations about the Labour politician's former living arrangements "fairly" and "impartially".
Rayner denies any wrongdoing. She is being formally investigated over the sale of her council house after being reported to the police by Tory MP James Daly.
The MP for Asthon-under-Lyne is facing allegations she may have given false information about where she was living.
The police chief overseeing the investigation into Angela Rayner has spoken out, saying the probe will not be drawn into "political spats"
PA
Asked if he thought there was a trend of politicians trying to involve the police to undermine their rivals, Watson told the Guardian: "Not particularly … people may assert that … my job is a simple one … We investigate allegations of crime.
"We do so fairly, impartially. And we go where the evidence leads us.
"Of course, we operate in a system and one always has to be careful that we’re not drawn into political spats, all the rest of it, which is why candidly, I’m very loath to make comment … because all it does is it plays into that space and that for me, is not the role of the police.
"We should just simply play that stuff with a straight bat …"
He added: "Ultimately, of course, people have a responsibility as to how they conduct themselves and we do too."
Rayner registered the former council house in Stockport as her main address on the electoral register, meaning she was not liable to pay capital gains tax on the £48,000 profit.
The police had initially said that the Labour MP would not face an investigation over claims she gave false information about her primary address on the electoral roll in a statement earlier this month.
But Daly wrote to the police and argued that officers appeared not to have contacted witnesses or looked at the electoral roll or other relevant documents.
The Bury North MP alleged she may have made a false declaration about where she was living on the electoral register.
The Labour deputy is being formally investigated over the sale of her council house
PA
In March, the force confirmed that a detective chief inspector had been assigned to reconsider the case.
Rayner has maintained that there has been "no wrongdoing" and "no unlawfulness".
She told the BBC: "I’ve been very clear there’s no rules broken. They [the Conservatives] tried to manufacture a police investigation … I got tax advice which says there was no capital gains tax. It’s a non-story manufactured to try and smear me."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Rayner has said she "lived there, paid the bills there and was registered to vote there" until she sold the property in 2015.
The revelation of her £48,000 profit on the sale of her home was first revealed by Lord Michael Ashcroft in his book.