Keir Starmer hints at comeback for Angela Rayner
Sir Keir Starmer has hinted that Angela Rayner could return to frontline politics, claiming the former deputy prime minister has a “future role to play” in government.
Ms Rayner remained a popular figure within the Labor Party despite being forced to resign last year after admitting she had not paid enough stamp duty when buying her £800,000 seaside flat in Hove.
His return to the front bench has sparked widespread speculation since his departure, and he has even been suggested as a potential replacement for Sir Keir, given his popularity within the party.
On Monday Sir Keir said he wanted to bring him back to the front line “at the right point”.
The Prime Minister told Times Radio: “I would like Angela to come back at the right point. I’ve always been clear that she has a role to play in the future.”
“He played a huge part in our success in the last election; after he was elected, we just passed the Employment Rights Act, which has his fingerprints all over it.”
Last week, it was reported that Ms Rayner was believed to be preparing for a comeback, saying: “I’m not dead yet.”
He was also reported to have said in a private speech at a fundraising dinner that Labor’s current leadership “must do better” and hinted at plans for a return to government. Times.
Ms Rayner also reportedly warned of the “dangerous” threat posed by Reform UK, promising: “I will not give the keys to Number 10 to Nigel Farage.”
Speaking to activists in central London in January, Ms Rayner reportedly thanked them for their commitment since she was elected as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in 2015.
He said: “You’ll remember when I was a young madman. I rose through the ranks and had the honor and privilege of getting us into government and becoming your deputy prime minister. And I’m still fighting. I’m not dead yet.”
Ms Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister, housing minister and deputy leader of the Labor Party in September after an independent ethics investigation found she had breached the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on a seaside flat.
Ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus said he “acted with integrity” but ignored legal advice warning him that the surcharge he owed was correct.
