Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and Labour's plain-speaking scourge of the Tories, resigned on Friday after a ministerial code breach over her property purchase. The resignation came after Laurie Magnus found she had failed to meet the highest standards, forcing her to follow the advice she often gave to Conservative rivals.
Rayner's effectiveness as a campaigner and communicator made her an invaluable asset to Keir Starmer, but her emotional openness and northern working-class roots also left her vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy. In her resignation letter, she acknowledged failing to meet the required standards regarding her recent property purchase.
Rayner and Starmer have always been an odd political couple, with contrasting backgrounds and styles. While Starmer developed a tough exterior in response to hardship, Rayner became a gregarious trade union representative whose emotional openness was key to her political success. Their relationship was strained in 2021 when Starmer attempted to demote her, but she emerged with a beefed-up role.
Despite the mutual respect, Rayner's resignation marks the end of a political partnership that proved effective in winning back 'red wall' voters. Her workers' rights bill, a personal project, is due to pass its final stage in just over a week, and she secured nearly £40bn for social housing in a spending review.
