Angela Rayner has condemned recent Labour infighting as “arrogant tittle tattle” and refused to rule out a return to frontline politics, as she urged the party to remain united.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror during a visit to a care centre in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency, the former deputy prime minister said the recent speculation and anonymous briefings were detached from the issues affecting ordinary people. She said: “That tittle tattle in Westminster almost looks arrogant when you’ve got real challenges that real people are facing.”
Ms Rayner, who served in a number of frontbench roles over a decade in government, said she had not “gone away” when asked about a possible comeback. She said she was humbled to champion constituency interests and cited child poverty, the fair pay agreement and the full implementation of the Employment Rights Bill as priorities.
The comments come after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced an investigation into the source of allegations that Health Secretary Wes Streeting was plotting a leadership challenge. Labour chairwoman Anna Turley said Sir Keir would “take action” to prevent further attacks, while Mr Streeting criticised the “toxic culture” around the No 10 operation.
Ms Rayner said the party “should always be together”, adding that the Labour movement has many different views and should look to bind itself together. She resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader in September after an ethics probe found she had breached the ministerial code over underpaid stamp duty on a flat. The ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, said she had “acted with integrity” but failed to heed legal advice about the surcharge owed.
