Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
STARMER » » KEIR STARTS RESHUFFLE.. WIELDS AXE
Shadow Cabinet launches rebellion Confusion over Rayner’s sacking
ANNELIESE Dodds was sacked as Shadow Chancellor last night as Labour leader Keir Starmer took the axe to his top team following the party’s disastrous election results.
Ms Dodds, who faced months of grumblings about her performance, was expected to be demoted to party chairwoman, while Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Rachel Reeves was tipped to fill the Shadow Chancellor vacancy.
Nick Brown, a veteran of the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments, was also ousted as Chief Whip.
But party boss Mr Starmer was forced to scale back his planned Shadow Cabinet reshuffle as some frontbenchers refused to accept demotions.
A day of drama and confusion unfolded after he sacked his deputy Angela Rayner from the party chairwoman role late on Saturday – only for Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian
VICTORY Tracy Brabin last night Murray to claim yesterday morning that she had in fact been promoted.
A Shadow Cabinet source yesterday said Ms Rayner was in “a position of real strength now” as negotiations about her role dragged on. It was expected she would be given Ms Reeves’ job as Shadow Cabinet Office Minister.
Key figures waged a revolt as they faced a choice between taking lesser posts or quitting altogether rather than face the humiliation.
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green was said to be under threat but last night it was reported she was safe.
Mr Starmer and his closest advisers began yesterday expecting to execute a brutal round of sackings following Labour’s disastrous results in Thursday’s elections. But by mid-afternoon the shake-up stalled. Asked last night if they knew what was going on, a Shadow Cabinet Minister replied: “Not a scooby.”
Another Shadow Cabinet source said it was the Leader of the Opposition’s office’s “mess to clear up”.
Another source said only “a couple of
name tags”
GONE
Angela Rayner sacked as deputy would be “moved around the Shadow Cabinet table”. The next meeting is due to take place today.
Last night Labour got a boost when Tracy Brabin became the first West Yorkshire Metro Mayor. But earlier the bookies had slashed the odds on Andy Burnham taking over the Labour leadership. Ladbrokes installed Mr
Burnham, the Greater Manchester Metro Mayor, as 6/1 favourite to succeed Mr Starmer, who was on odds of 4/1 to be ousted before the end of the year.
Mr Burnham, a two-time leadership hopeful who was dubbed “King of the North” last autumn after his stand-off with No10 over coronavirus funding, fuelled speculation of a bid on Saturday, saying: “In the distant future, if the party were to feel it needed me, well, I’m here and they should get in touch.”
But said yesterday: “I’ve been elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester, that is where my focus is. My focus is here.”
Labour lost the Hartlepool by-election, and the mayoral elections in West Midlands, and Tees Valley, letting Boris
not a unifying thing to do DIANE ABBOTT
Johnson claiming a spectacular hat-trick. Labour victories in the London, Greater Manchester and West of England mayoral contests, and the Welsh Senedd, failed to disguise the bleak overall picture.
With counting for 141 of England’s
143 councils complete by 7pm yesterday, Labour was down 323 councillors and eight town halls, with the Tories up 239 councillors and 13 local authorities. The results triggered Labour infighting. Mr Starmer, who on Friday promised to take full responsibility for the results, made sacking Ms Rayner his first priority.
But then yesterday morning, Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “Angela Rayner has been offered a significant promotion to take her from the back office of the Labour party, running elections, to the front office, talking to the country. So, in actual fact, Angela Rayner, as I understand it, as I have been told, has not been sacked.”
Former Shadow Chancellor John Mcdonnell told BBC1’S The Andrew Marr Show: “When the leader of the party on Friday said he takes responsibility for the election result in Hartlepool in particular and then scapegoats Angela Rayner, I think many of us feel that is unfair.
“We know Keir’s style of leadership is that his office controls everything.”
Former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said: “I think sacking Angela Rayner is not a unifying thing to do. I think it is baffling.
“She didn’t take any of the big decisions around Hartlepool and we’ve not heard anywhere in the country people saying they didn’t vote Labour because of Angela Rayner. I think it is puzzling to sack Angela Rayner.” Former Coronation Street actress Ms Brabin’s victory was the only glimmer of hope, as she beat second-placed candidate, Conservative Matt Robinson, by 101,786 votes.
But she will now have to quit as MP for Batley and Spen, meaning Mr Starmer faces another tricky by-election in a Red Wall seat, which Ms Brabin won with a 3,525 majority in 2019, down from 8,961 in 2017.
Ms Brabin, who played Tricia Armstrong on the Street, has held the seat since 2016 when a by-election took place after sitting MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist.