Angela Rayner has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister after a probe into her tax affairs by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser. Rayner was investigated after it emerged she had underpaid stamp duty when purchasing a seaside apartment in Hove, East Sussex. Sir Keir Starmer hinted on Thursday that he would move to sack Rayner pending the results of the investigation, but Rayner has jumped before she was pushed. Her departure has triggered a cabinet reshuffle, which is expected to take place today.
The announcement comes as Nigel Farage kicks off Reform UK’s annual party conference. Rayner’s resignation – and the looming cabinet reshuffle – casts a large shadow over Farage’s big day. Just last night it was revealed that the Reform leader had convinced Nadine Dorries to jump ship while rumours abound that ex-Labour MPs could be next. But Rayner’s move this morning will take the shine off Farage’s big speech.
Keir Starmer has responded to Rayner’s announcement with a rare handwritten response, in a move that signals his empathy for his former second-in-command. What is especially worrying Labour figures is the fact that Rayner has also resigned her position as deputy leader of the Labour party. With the party conference looming, the complex NEC rulebook could mean that an interim deputy is elected before MPs decide upon a final candidate. ‘It’s really bad,’ one party insider said of the looming deputy leadership contest, with Starmerites worried about a left-winger taking the mantle and deepening divides in between the left and right of the party.
Rayner’s departure leaves questions about her successors, both in government and as deputy Labour leader. The upcoming ministerial reshuffle is expected to be far-reaching – affecting senior figures and cabinet ministers (with Leader of the House Lucy Powell and Scotland Secretary Ian Murray both out) rather than simply a reorganisation of junior ministers. The frontrunner for the Deputy Prime Minister role is Shabana Mahmood. And there are concerns about how the membership will react to Rayner’s resignation. ‘People who wanted to leave under Keir have stayed because of her,’ a Labour MP notes, while another party source tells me glumly: ‘There’s nobody like Angela.’
Starmer’s army will have to pick their next nominee for the deputy leader role carefully, to find someone who can keep the left on side while being able to work constructively with Starmer – although it is much less likely this time around that the deputy leader would also become Deputy Prime Minister. Possible names floated have included those of former transport minister Louise Haigh and left-winger Emily Thornberry. Meanwhile Farage has moved his own party conference speech forward by three hours as he predicts ‘splits’ within Labour this afternoon.
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