The former deputy prime minister and housing secretary resigned in September after an ethics probe found she breached ministerial code over stamp duty on her flat in Hove
Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that Angela Rayner, whom he describes as “hugely talented”, will be making a comeback to his Cabinet.
Ms Rayner stepped down from her roles as Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and Deputy Labour Leader in September following an independent ethics investigation which found she had violated the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on a coastal flat.
In an interview with The Observer, the Prime Minister expressed his longing for Ms Rayner’s presence and suggested that misogyny had contributed to the heightened criticism levelled at her and Chancellor Rachel Reeves in recent times.
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After lauding Ms Rayner as “the best social mobility story this country has ever seen,” Sir Keir admitted to missing his former deputy, saying: “Yes, of course I do. I was really sad that we lost her.” He further added, “As I said to her at the time, she’s going to be a major voice in the Labour movement.”
When questioned about her potential return to the Cabinet, he affirmed: “Yes. She’s hugely talented.”
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch contended during last month’s Prime Minister’s Questions that any reinstatement of Ms Rayner should be contingent upon her repaying the £40,000 in property taxes she evaded.
Earlier this week, a source close to the former Deputy Prime Minister stated that she will “not be played like a pawn” amidst rumours of a pact between her and Health Secretary Wes Streeting to vie for the Labour leadership.
The source stated “there is no vacancy and there is no pact”, following The Daily Telegraph’s report that allies of Mr Streeting were urging Ms Rayner to agree to a “joint ticket” for the top position.
Sir Keir emphasised that he had no plans to stand down before the next election. He declared: “When I took over the Labour party, everyone said to me, ‘you’re not going to be able to change the party’. We ignored that and carried on.
“Then they said to me, ‘you’re not going to be able to win an election’. We got a landslide Labour victory. Now, 17 months into a five-year Labour term, they say ‘you’re not able to change the country’. Every time we’ve been in this position, we’ve defied them. And that’s what I intend to do.”
