At long last, Greater Manchester Police deign to investigate allegations that Angela Rayner breached electoral law.

It's now seven weeks since The Mail on Sunday first broke this story but, until now, the police have seemed desperate not to get involved. However, after a formal complaint from Tory MP James Daly, they had little option but to act.

They must now establish why the deputy Labour leader was still registered to vote at the ex-council house she owned in Vicarage Road, Stockport, years after apparently moving in with her children and husband at his house in nearby Lowndes Lane.

This may seem a rather technical point, but it leads on to other questions. When she sold Vicarage Road in 2015, Ms Rayner made £48,500 profit. If it was not her main residence, she would have been liable to pay capital gains tax.

Also, she is alleged to have received single person's council tax discount, to which she was not entitled if living elsewhere.

Deputy leader of the labour party Angela Rayner is under investigation for breaking electoral law

Ms Rayner claims Vicarage Road was her 'principal property' but in family social media posts described Lowndes Lane as 'home'. Neighbours at Vicarage Road say she was rarely seen there, and she told one she was the 'landlady'.

There a distinct whiff of arrogance about Labour's attempts to make excuses. Poor Angie is being smeared because she's working class, they say, and a woman, and a Northerner. All utter claptrap, of course.

True, the sums involved are relatively modest, but this is about integrity and accountability. Ms Rayner is forever demanding senior Tories publish their tax affairs, yet when it comes to her own, she pleads privacy. Sheer hypocrisy.

The police must now get to the bottom of this grubby affair. She may be a big noise in Labour, but she is not above the law.

Unfit for purpose

The term 'fit note' has always been a misnomer. It is supposedly an assessment by a health professional of a person's fitness for work after they have been off for seven days or more.

However, as 93 per cent of applicants are designated unfit, they are just old-fashioned sick notes by another name. And boy, are they on the rise.

The annual total doubled between 2016 and 2023 to a staggering 11million, with one in three involving mental or behavioural disorders. Over 70 per cent of these contained no diagnosis of the supposed illness, suggesting GPs are signing them off by rote so applicants can access benefits.

Is it really possible that twice as many people are unfit for work as seven years ago? Or has the system just become a shirkers' charter?

The answer probably lies somewhere in between, but it is surely time for a reset. Languishing on the sick for months, even years is hugely debilitating, especially for the young.

There is also a huge economic imperative to get them back into the workforce. Some 186million working days were lost to sickness and injury last year at a cost of £150billion – almost equivalent to the entire NHS budget.

If Britain is to return to growth and prosperity, this sicknote epidemic must be addressed. Assessments must be more rigorous, with a plan of action to get people back to work quickly and penalties for non-compliance. This is not being cruel, but compassionate.

For many with mental health issues, holding down a fulfilling job could be part of the solution. Sitting idly at home will only compound their problems.