Angela Rayner won’t win back the working classes
Angela Rayner is reportedly considering a return to Labour's front benches after the local elections, but demands Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's removal as a condition. Rayner, once seen as a working-class figurehead, is now viewed by many in the working class as a class traitor due to her past conduct and lifestyle choices. The internal Labour struggle between Rayner and Mahmood reflects a broader ideological divide, but neither is likely to rescue Keir Starmer or the party from its current困境.
- ▪Angela Rayner may return to Labour's front benches if Shabana Mahmood is removed as home secretary.
- ▪Rayner has been criticized for taking freebies from donors and designating a seaside apartment as her primary residence over her constituency home.
- ▪Shabana Mahmood represents the Blue Labour wing, combining economic leftism with strong law-and-order stances.
- ▪Rayner has opposed Mahmood’s migration reforms, calling them 'un-British', aligning herself against stricter immigration policies.
- ▪Mahmood is seen as more aligned with public values and a counter to Reform UK, while Rayner focuses on threats from the left.
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Angela Rayner won’t win back the working classes Starmer is deluded if he thinks his former deputy can rescue his dying premiership. i Picture by: Getty dataLayer.push({ event: 'author', author: "Lisa McKenzie" }) Lisa McKenzie 2nd May 2026 i Picture by: Getty Share Topics Politics UK Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter. Among the never-ending gossip around No10, UK prime minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party, a bold story has emerged about Angela Rayner. Starmer, so the whispers go, wants working-class hero Rayner to return to the government front benches after next week’s local-council elections, which are predicted to be catastrophic for Labour. It is a move the former deputy prime minister is reportedly open to, given one condition.
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