A political journalist has claimed that Angela Rayner is unfit for the highest office after witnessing her reportedly drunk in a Westminster bar. Dan Hodges wrote in the Daily Mail that he saw the former Deputy Prime Minister in Strangers' Bar on Monday and that descriptions of her being 'absolutely obliterated' were accurate.
Hodges said he witnessed her walking into a door with force, an incident that has been dismissed by Rayner's team. He added that concerns about her social conduct have been widespread within the Parliamentary Labour Party for some time, and that her behaviour was not an aberration.
Witnesses told the Daily Mail that Rayner collided with a door with a loud bang, leaving her briefly bent over. The following day, the entrance door was reportedly removed for repairs, although parliamentary sources insisted the maintenance was unrelated. A privacy screen has now been installed at the bar's doorway.
A House of Commons source said they do not recognise accusations that Rayner caused the door to break, and that maintenance staff are completing a full repair. Rayner's spokesperson called the story 'a concoction of mischief-making', stating that she had a glass of wine with friends and the notion she broke a door is 'total rubbish'.
Hodges, however, argued that Rayner cannot become Prime Minister, claiming the weight of office would destroy her and the Government would collapse like Liz Truss's premiership. Rayner, who served as deputy to Keir Starmer, is considered a leading contender for any future leadership change.
