Angela Rayner is the Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, having first been elected to parliament at the 2015 general election.

In the 2024 general election for Ashton-under-Lyne, Rayner received 15,575 votes, representing 43.9% of the vote share. The Reform UK candidate, Robert Barrowcliffe, came second with 8,784 votes (24.8%), while the Conservative candidate, Lizzie Hacking, secured 4,375 votes (12.3%). Rayner was duly elected with a majority of 6,791.  

Angela Rayner: government offices

Rayner currently serves as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government. Rayner was appointed to this role in July 2026, following the Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

Rayner served as deputy prime minister from July 2024 to September 2025.

Rayner resigned from this post on 5 September 2025 following an inquiry into her tax affairs related to the purchase of a flat in Hove. It came after the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministerial interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, concluded that she had failed to meet the “highest possible standards of proper conduct”.

Rayner also resigned as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, a post she had held since July 2024, and deputy leader of the Labour Party, a post she had held since April 2020.

The controversy, which emerged in late August 2025, centred on Rayner’s underpayment of stamp duty by £40,000 on an £800,000 flat in Hove purchased in May 2025. The purchase involved complex trust arrangements linked to her disabled son. After the allegations surfaced, Rayner admitted an error had been made.

Sir Laurie found that Rayner had “acted with integrity”, but ultimately concluded that a minister, particularly one with oversight of housing policy, should have sought additional specialist tax advice.

In her resignation letter to the prime minister, Rayner accepted she “did not meet the highest standards” when purchasing her property.

She wrote: “I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as housing secretary and my complex family arrangements.”

Rayner also resigned as deputy leader of the Labour Party.

In a handwritten reply to Rayner, the prime minister, Keir Starmer described her decision as “very painful” but “right”.

The resignation was a significant blow to Starmer. It removed one of Labour’s most high-profile figures from the political frontline, triggering both a cabinet reshuffle and an internal election to fill the vacant deputy leadership post. David Lammy was appointed deputy prime minister in Rayner’s wake; Steve Reed was promoted to housing secretary. On 25 October, former leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell was elected as Rayner’s replacement as Labour deputy leader.

In a personal statement to the House of Commons on 22 October, Rayner expressed contrition while consciously seeking to shape her legacy. She said that recent weeks had been “incredibly tough on my family”, acknowledging the toll the “the intense scrutiny we face takes on our loved ones”.

Rayner described serving at the highest level of government as a “privilege – not for the title or the office, but for the chance to change the lives of the people I grew up with and live alongside.”

She recognised “the power of politics to change lives”, reflecting on her own upbringing.

Rayner told MPs: “The last Labour government gave me the foundation to build a better life for me and my young son: a council house to support me, Sure Start to help me raise my kids, and the security of a minimum wage.”

On the backbenches, Rayner helped broker a compromise at the height of the Mandelson affair (February 2026) over a humble address motion tabled by the opposition Conservative Party. It came after Labour MPs threatened to vote against a government amendment to the motion, which sought to limit the disclosure of internal papers and vetting materials. In the end, the government committed to hand power over the disclosures to the intelligence and security committee.

Also in February, Rayner publicly supported former mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham’s candidacy ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election. Burnham was ultimately blocked from standing by an 8-1 vote of the Labour national executive committee (NEC).

In the wake of the May 2026 local elections and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru, Rayner issued a 1000-word statement criticising a “toxic culture of cronyism” at the top of the Labour Party. She called on the Labour Party to “live up to our name: we must be the party of working people” and for Starmer to “meet the moment and set out the change our country needs.”

Rayner also criticised the decision to block Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election as a “mistake.”

At the same time, Rayner announced that she had been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs.

Angela Rayner and Keir Starmer

Rayner was elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party after prevailing in April 2020. As part of the 2020 deputy Labour leadership contest, Rayner defeated rival candidates including Rosena Allin-Khan, Richard Burgon and Dawn Butler. She won with 52.6% of the vote in the final round. During the campaign, Rayner promised to “make the case for everyday socialism rooted in people’s lives”.

Rayner and Starmer’s relationship as deputy leader and leader of the Labour Party respectively was initially said to be strained. In 2023, Rayner described her relationship with the Labour leader as an “arranged marriage”.

She said: “I often talk about it as an arranged marriage. We were both elected by the membership differently and independently. We work constructively together.”

In September 2021, Rayner was criticised for reportedly referring to Conservative ministers as a “bunch of scum” at a Labour conference reception. According to the Daily Mirror, she told the event on Saturday night: “We cannot get any worse than a bunch of scum, homophobic, racist, misogynistic, absolute vile… banana republic, vile, nasty, Etonian… piece of scum.”

Rayner initially defended the comments, saying she was trying to convey in a “passionate way” the “anger and frustration that people feel when you have a prime minister, who has said things and not apologised that are racist, that are misogynistic, that are homophobic, that has given billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to their mates and literally wasted that money”.

At the time, Starmer said that Rayner had deployed “not language that I would use.”

In October, Rayner apologised for the remarks, saying that she had since reflected on “our political debate” and the “abuse that now seems to feature all too often”.

Rayner was criticised for allegedly using similar language in the House of Commons chamber in October 2020. Conservative MP Chris Clarkson said he heard Rayner use the term “scum” after he had accused Labour of “opportunism”.

Dame Eleanor Laing, the commons deputy speaker, told Rayner that she should not deliver “remarks like that – not under any circumstances.” The Labour deputy leader responded in the chamber by calling on Clarkson to withdraw “inaccurate” comments. She later issued a statement, saying: “I apologise for the language that I used in a heated debate in parliament earlier.” The confrontation came after Rayner revealed that her aunt had died from Coronavirus.

Rayner held a series of roles on Starmer’s frontbench during his tenure as leader of the opposition. Initially, she served as chair of the Labour Party and national campaign co-ordinator from April 2020 to May 2021. Following disappointing local election results for Labour in May 2021, Starmer moved Rayner from these roles in a reshuffle and attempted to demote his deputy.

However, Rayner and her allies resisted attempts to demote her. She eventually secured a host of senior roles, including shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and shadow secretary of state for the future of work. She was also retained in the role of shadow first secretary of state (appointed April 2020).

Rayner therefore emerged with a 24-word job title as deputy leader, shadow first secretary of state, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and shadow secretary of state for the future of work. She held this elaborate job-description from May 2021 to September 2023.

In a further reshuffle in September 2023, Rayner was appointed as shadow deputy prime minister and shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities.  

In May 2024, during the general election campaign, Rayner insisted that she and Starmer now “get on really well”, adding: “I think in the early days we were a bit yin and yang.”

She told the Daily Record: “I’m a bit Northern, aren’t I, and loud, and Keir’s from the south and he’s not quite as loud. I would say I am an extrovert and Keir’s an introvert.”

Angela Rayner: rise to prominence (2015-2020)

Rayner also served on the frontbench during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader. She was shadow secretary of state for education from June 2016 to April 2020, shadow minister for women and equalities from June to October 2016, shadow minister for work and pensions January to June 2016, and an opposition whip from September 2015 to January 2016.

Rayner briefly served as a member of the House of Commons communities and local government select committee from July to October 2015.  

Rayner delivered her maiden speech on 2 June 2015.

In it, she said: “All the previous MPs who have represented my historic constituency have had one thing in common that I do not share: they have all been men. Today, I stand here making my maiden speech as the first woman MP to serve Ashton-under-Lyne in 183 years, and, as the first woman MP, I promise that I will do all in my power to live up to the examples shown by my predecessors.

“Of course, I could never fill their shoes – mine tend to have three-inch heels and to be rather more colourful – but I walk in their footsteps. We are different, and I will be different, but we are equal too.”

She added: “A careworker becoming a member of parliament: that is real aspiration for you. Perhaps I am also the only member who, at the age of 16 and pregnant, was told in no uncertain terms that I would never amount to anything.

“If only those people could see me now! I am proud to be in this place, for myself, for my family, for my party, and for the people whom I represent.”

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Labour leadership 2020: Rayner was one of 33 Labour MPs who nominated Rebecca Long-Bailey for the party’s leadership in early 2020. The election was triggered by the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn following the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election, which resulted in Labour’s fewest seats in the House of Commons since 1935.

Long-Bailey, then the shadow business secretary, was widely regarded as the continuity candidate for the party’s left/Corbynite wing. Long-Bailey finished second with 27.6% of the vote, losing to Keir Starmer, who won a decisive victory in the first round with 56.2%.

Labour leadership 2015: Rayner was one of 68 Labour MPs who nominated Andy Burnham for the party’s leadership in June 2015. The election followed the resignation of Ed Miliband after the party’s defeat in the 2015 general election. It was the first contest held under the “one member, one vote” system, which replaced the previous electoral college.

Burnham, the shadow health secretary, was initially considered the frontrunner. He secured 68 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 35 required to reach the final ballot. He ultimately finished second in the contest with 19% of the vote, losing to Jeremy Corbyn in the first round.

Corbyn loyalty list: In March 2016, Rayner was labelled as “core group plus” by the Corbyn leadership in a leaked list which categorised Labour MPs by their perceived loyalty. This label suggested the Corbyn leadership viewed Rayner as a reliable supporter.

Labour leadership 2016: Rayner was one of the minority of Labour MPs who endorsed Jeremy Corbyn during his successful defence of the party leadership in September 2016. The election was triggered following a period of intense tension after the EU referendum, which saw a wave of shadow cabinet resignations and a vote of no confidence supported by 172 MPs.

Corbyn, who was automatically included on the ballot as the incumbent, was challenged by Owen Smith, the former shadow work and pensions secretary. Corbyn won the election with an increased mandate, securing 61.8% of the vote compared to 38.2% for Smith.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Rayner supported Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore disagreed with a majority of her constituents, 61.8% of whom voted to Leave.

Article 50: In February 2017, Rayner voted in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Rayner voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Rayner voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Rayner voted against a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons. Labour was split over the issue with 140 of its 230 MPs going against leader Jeremy Corbyn and backing the motion.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Rayner voted against a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Before Politics

Born Angela Bowen in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on 28 March 1980, Rayner grew up on a council estate. She has spoken openly about experiencing poverty during her childhood and caring for her mother who had bipolar disorder.  

Rayner attended Avondale High School but left at age 16 without qualifications after becoming pregnant. During her tenure as education secretary, Rayner revealed that she “left with no GCSEs above a D,” and “kind of left at 15”.

Rayner later studied part-time at Stockport College, qualifying as a social care worker and learning British Sign Language.

Rayner’s first job was as a care worker for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Through this work, she became involved in the trade union Unison. She rose through the union ranks to become Unison’s North West England regional convenor before entering politics.

Rayner joined the Labour Party during her time as a union official.

A 2012 Guardian article featured Rayner in its “A Working Life”, following her role as a union official. “People underestimate me”, Rayner told the newspaper.

“I’m a pretty young woman, lots of red hair, and everyone expects me to be stupid when I walk into a meeting for the first time. I’m not stupid and most people know that now, but I still like to be underestimated because it gives me an edge. It gives me a bit of stealth.”

She added: “I grew up on a council estate and was pregnant at 16, only able to afford clothes from a charity shop. I was told I’d never amount to anything and would be living in a council house, on benefits with loads of kids by the time I was 30.

“That’s not me, though I wouldn’t judge someone if they were in that situation. But I have three lovely kids, live in my own house and have a great job – I’ve had to earn respect the hard way, starting as a home help when I left school.”

Personal Life

Rayner married Mark Rayner, a Unison official, in 2010. They separated in 2020. She has three sons; her first son was born when she was 16, and another, Charlie, was born prematurely at 23 weeks.

Rayner became a grandmother in 2017 at the age of 37, using the hashtag #Grangela on social media.  

She posted to Twitter (now X): “At just before 6am today after an eventful evening, I became a grandma… thank you to all the wonderful staff at #NHS #Tameside #grangela.”

In October 2025, the Sun newspaper reported that former Labour MP Sam Tarry, with whom Rayner had been in an on-off relationship since 2022, had moved into her house in Hove.

At the time of the 2020 Labour leadership and deputy leadership contests, Rayner shared a flat in Westminster with fellow Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey. In July 2020, it was reported that Rayner had moved out.

Trivia

Angela Rayner tattoo

Rayner has a prominent tattoo of a red rose, the Labour Party symbol, on her leg.

Angela Rayner and Star Wars

In 2015, shortly after becoming an MP, Rayner used House of Commons headed notepaper to complain to the shoe retailer Irregular Choice after missing out on purchasing a pair of limited edition R2-D2 themed high heels from their Star Wars collection.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Rayner’s letter read: “I have only ever brought [sic] your shoes and I am loathed to do so again, or recommend your shoes to others.

“I am writing to let you know that treating customers in that way will only cost you more in the long term.”