Politics
Rayner wants change, but is Labour too far gone?
The Greens just dealt Labour a crushing defeat in the once-safe red seat of Gorton and Denton. Now, Labour has some deep soul-searching to do. Unfortunately, the party hardly has a soul left to speak of.
Following the loss, Labour’s ex-deputy leading Angela Rayner jumped onto Twitter to advocate for ‘change’ within her party:
This result must be a wake up call. It’s time to really listen – and to reflect.
Voters want the change that we promised – and they voted for.
If we want to unrig the system, if we want to make the change we were sent into Government to make, we have to be braver.
A labour agenda that puts people first.
That’s what all of us across our movement need to rededicate ourselves to this morning.
Illustrating her commitment to the idea of listening and learning, she also turned off replies on the tweet. Fantastic first steps there.
(In)direct criticism
Whether intended as such or not, Rayner’s words are a direct criticism of Starmer’s ‘Blair 3.0’ vision of the Labour Party.
Starmer has repeatedly failed to listen to the people he’s meant to represent. He tried to push through digital ID, and he’s still trying to scale back the right to trial-by-jury, in spite of massive popular opposition. Likewise, he’s maintained a devastating alliance with Israel in the face of the public turn against the genocide.
The current Labour government has failed to put people first, instead prioritising big business. The party scrapped its long-awaited audit reforms, ensuring that reckless companies can gamble with the UK’s economy. Hell, Starmer even put forward a corporate lobbyist to stand in Gorton and Denton.
Talking about a rigged system, the Labour leader also blocked rival Andy Burnham’s route to parliament in that same by-election. In doing so, he nearly handed the seat to the far-right – purely to quash the left in his own party.
Leadership challenge?
If I were a deeply cynical person, I’d say that Rayner’s thinly veiled criticism of Starmer was part of a move to line up her own leadership bid. Of course, I am a deeply cynical person.
This wouldn’t be the first we’ve heard of a leadership attempt for Rayner. Back in November, she reportedly offered Cabinet positions to MPs who pledge to support her. However, her team denied everything.
Rayner also reportedly joined the Tribune pressure group, which is a ‘soft left’ MP outfit. It’s notable that this is the largest caucus of Labour backbenchers, and that it could be used as a “leadership vehicle” in the same way that Labour Together pushed Starmer into the top spot.
Listening and learning
However, if it’s the top spot she’s after, Rayner would do well to listen to her own words (and the people). Whilst she’s shown some backbone with her support of the Employment Rights Bill, the ex-deputy PM has a long way to go to win back public trust.
In July, Rayner was booted out of the union Unite, after trying to pressure bin workers to accept a bogus pay deal. At its conference in Brighton, unite members also voted to re-examine the organisation’s relationship to Labour itself.
Likewise, she defended her party’s position supporting the two-child benefit cap, back before its U-turn abolition. Similarly, she also gave her backing to Labour’s ruinous slashing of benefits through the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
Then, of course, there’s the small matter of Rayner forgetting to pay £40,000 stamp duty on her home… whilst she was the housing minister. Not exactly a shining example of an un-rigged system.
Don’t get me wrong – I still think Rayner would be a hundred times the leader Starmer is. But that’s more an indictment of new-new Labour than an endorsement of the ex-deputy leader of the Labour party.
Rayner is right that Labour needs to listen to the people if it ever wants to be re-elected. However, she doesn’t seem to realise that her party is too far gone to change now.
Featured image via the Canary