ON FUTURE:
We had a frank chat on my role, there is a lot of respect between us Rayner’s bullish message after election fall-out
I want to be deputy PM, & to get into Government as quickly as we can
ANGELA Rayner insisted the public “don’t care about my job, they care about their jobs” as she battles to move Labour on from the damaging fall-out of last week’s elections.
Labour’s deputy leader will appear alongside Keir Starmer at a series of joint public visits across the country as they put on a united front after a botched reshuffle.
After a bruising few days, she admitted the party – and its leader – failed to articulate what it stood for. Instead of “fluffy language”, Labour needs to promise decent, secure jobs that pay enough for a home and look after family.
In her first interview since the votes, Ms Rayner admitted she found it “difficult” after being initially sacked from her role, then given a brief to set out Labour’s plans and take on the Tories.
She said internal briefings around her position had been “frustrating” and revealed she was “disappointed” the situation had overshadowed some of the party’s better results.
Ms Rayner admitted that she and
RESPECT Angela with Keir Starmer
Mr Starmer had “frank” conversations around her role but their teams were now working together.
But she insisted she remained loyal to her boss – with whom she has a “huge amount of mutual respect” – despite claims from allies she could mount a leadership challenge amid the chaos.
“I’m getting on with the job of supporting Labour being a party of a Government in waiting. That’s what we need to focus on,” she said.
“Not just attack the Tories where they’re doing things wrong, but also talking about what we’d do.
LEADERSHIP
“Talking about the differences between the Conservatives and us, and what type of Britain we want.”
Ms Rayner batted away claims she had one eye on the leadership herself. “I want to be deputy PM. I want to get into Government as quickly as we can. People don’t care about my job, they care about their jobs.”
But the fall-out from the elections rumbled on after Labour MP Carolyn Harris, a close aide to Mr Starmer, stepped
CLEAR MESSAGE Angela Rayner down when she was accused of negative briefings about Ms Rayner.
“I don’t think anybody should be discussing people’s private lives,” she said, but had not seen the reports.
Reflecting on Labour’s losses – which saw it suffer a devastating loss in the Hartlepool by-election as well as a swathe of council seats across the so-called “Red Wall” – Ms Rayner admitted the party had failed to articulate what it stood for.
Admitting that Labour had too often “talked down” to voters rather than listening to them.
“We’ve got to say what we mean and mean what we say – speak to the voters and listen, set out why they should vote for us,” she said.
But she defended Labour’s strategy of attacking Boris Johnson over “Tory sleaze” allegations that he has broken rules on his Caribbean holiday and the lavish refurb of the Downing Street flat.
No 10 insists he has stuck to the rules but several investigations are ongoing.
Ms Rayner said: “Nobody is above the law. If you allow him to do that, then
anyone can.”