Angela Rayner ‘to publish memoir’ amid growing speculation over leadership challenge
Angela Rayner is reportedly writing a memoir about the former deputy prime minister’s life and political career in a move that will fuel growing speculation about a possible leadership fight.
The book is expected to tell the story of her impoverished childhood, when she left school at 16 after becoming pregnant, and then detail her involvement with the union movement and her rise in the Labor Party.
It comes just days after Sir Keir Starmer said the “hugely talented” Ms Rayner would return to his cabinet as speculation grew that she could make a bid for the Labor leadership.
The former deputy prime minister has remained relatively quiet since he was forced to resign in September for failing to pay stamp duty on his department, and has since only intervened in the Employment Rights Bill of which he is the architect.
However, there are reports that he may challenge the prime minister as a joint candidate with Mr Streeting, amid devastating approval ratings and growing concerns about the direction of the Labor government.
Sources told Guard It was stated that Ms. Rayner’s yet untitled book will be published by The Bodley Head, a division of Penguin Random House UK, in the second half of 2026.
Alice Skinner, editor-in-chief of The Bodley Head, said: “We are delighted and proud to publish Angela Rayner.
“Her book will be unpretentious and clear—you can expect her originality to shine—and it’s an empowering vision for a fairer, kinder society that will enable everyone to thrive. It will ignite change one reader at a time.”
Earlier this month No 10 was forced to deny reports that Ms Rayner had been offered the job of education secretary to block her leadership bid, saying the claims were “highly speculative”.
Sources said Daily Mail He was resisting the offer in order to prepare his own bid for Downing Street.
In a damning sign of the mood music in Parliament, there were also reports of Labor MPs referring to Sir Keir as a “caretaker prime minister”.
It comes after a source close to the former deputy prime minister said Ms Rayner and Mr Streeting “will not be played as pawns” following reports an agreement had been reached for them to run for the Labor leadership.
“There is no vacancy, no deal,” the source said later. Telegram It reported that Mr Streeting’s allies were pressuring Ms Rayner to sign up for the “joint ticket” for the senior job.
Ms Rayner’s allies have previously slammed “false” claims that she is running for the Labor leadership; The former Deputy Prime Minister insisted that he was “not moving away” when asked about returning to front-line politics.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir has repeatedly stressed that he has no intention of stepping aside before the next election.
he said Observer In December: “When I took over the Labor Party everyone said to me: ‘You’re not going to change the party.’ We ignored that and carried on.
“Then they said to me, ‘You’re not going to win the election.’ We had a landslide Labor victory. Now, 17 months into a five-year Labor term, they’re saying, ‘You can’t change the country.’
“Every time we’ve been in this situation, we’ve challenged them. That’s what I want to do.”
Independent Penguin Random House has been contacted for comment.
