Angela Rayner could theoretically claw her way back into the role she vacated, in a twist that would doubtless stymie PM Sir Keir Starmer. Ms Rayner stepped down as both deputy Prime Minister and Labour’s deputy leader on Friday after it was revealed that she had underpaid stamp duty on a second home in East Sussex. This revelation blindsided the party’s top brass and ignited fresh scrutiny over its ethical standards.
Sir Keir swiftly appointed David Lammy as deputy PM, but the deputy leadership is not his to decide on. Instead, it is an elected position, decided first by MPs nominating candidates and then by a ballot of all 400,000-plus Labour members. And nothing in the rulebook bars Ms Rayner from running again.
The process would unfold like this: to get on the ballot, a candidate needs nominations from at least 20% of Labour MPs—around 80 signatures in the current 410-strong parliamentary party.
Once shortlisted (typically three to five contenders), the vote is open to members via a preferential system, and rankings determine the winner.
Rayner dominated this contest in 2020, trouncing rivals with her grassroots appeal as a working-class northerner who rose from care worker to Sir Keir’s right-hand woman.
Polls from LabourList still rank her as the party’s second-most popular figure, behind only Ed Miliband. Among MPs, she’s a darling too—colleagues this weekend hailed her as a vital, authentic voice in a cabinet heavy on lawyers and Londoners.
Rayner could leverage her incumbency glow: five years as deputy honed her campaign machine, and the scandal might rally sympathisers who see it as a right-wing smear.
If she secures the MP nominations—plausible given her loyalty from the left and centre—members’ ballots could propel her victory. They’re often more progressive than the leadership, favouring bold voices over the PM’s cautious centrism.
For Sir Keir, such an outcome would be a major headache, exposing fractures in his authority.
The PM, already battered by welfare rebellions and Gaza rows, faces a party conference dominated by what would unquestionably be a circus.
Rivals like Emily Thornberry (sniping at his isolation) or Louise Haigh (avenging her sacking) may lurk, but Ms Rayner’s resurrection would symbolise Labour’s ethical blind spot, alienating voters and potentially fuelling Tory attacks.