Labour's Angela Rayner has broken her silence on the recent turmoil within the party, condemning what she called 'arrogant tittle-tattle' and calling for unity after a week of intense leadership speculation.
Rayner Speaks Out
In her first major interview since stepping down as deputy prime minister, Rayner spoke to the Daily Mirror in her constituency and directly addressed the internal conflicts that have dominated Westminster discussions. While not ruling out a future leadership bid or return to frontline politics, she emphasised that she had 'not gone away'.
The former deputy leader criticised the briefing against Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who some allies of Keir Starmer had accused of plotting to challenge the Prime Minister. 'I think Wes has clearly set out his stall after what was clearly a very turbulent couple of days,' Rayner stated.
Cabinet Minister Expresses Embarrassment
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood separately described the past week of leadership speculation as 'deeply mortifying' for everyone in government. Speaking on the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme, she expressed hope that Starmer could now draw a line under the speculation.
'I think what happened earlier on this week was horribly embarrassing. It's deeply mortifying for everybody in the government, and I'm pleased that the prime minister has dealt with it,' Mahmood said. She warned her party colleagues not to forget the privilege of being in government and to focus on their important jobs.
Calls for Party Unity
Rayner emphasised the need for Labour to remain united despite differing views within the movement. 'I think the party should always be together,' she said. 'I've always been of that nature and the way in which I've worked within our movement is, our movement has many different views and we should always look to bind ourselves within that.'
Mahmood addressed the difficulty of identifying those responsible for the briefings, particularly regarding speculation about Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister's chief of staff. She expressed hope that those responsible were feeling 'abject humiliation' and that this would prevent future occurrences.
The Home Secretary concluded with a stark reminder to her colleagues: 'We have precious time. We must not waste a single second of it.' Both ministers' comments highlight the ongoing tensions within the Labour Party as it seeks to maintain focus on governing amid internal disputes.
