RESHUFFLE: Rayner Now Officially Appointed ‘Shadow Deputy PM’

With the Labour Party becoming ever more confident of victory at the next General Election – mostly due to Tory infighting and a decline in public support for the government – Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has today officially been named ‘Shadow Deputy Prime Minister’ as part of Keir Starmer’s reshuffle. 

Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, already had a wide range of roles, believed to have been handed to her to appease far-left Corbyn supporters after Keir Starmer took over as the leader of the Labour Party. Starmer had in fact sacked Rayner as Party Chair in 2021 following Labour’s dismal defeat in the Hartlepool by-election – but was pressured into handed her a bizarre cocktail of promotions.

She currently serves as shadow minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, shadow secretary of state for the future of work, and deputy leader of the official Opposition, alongside her role as deputy Labour leader.

Earlier in the month we reported that Starmer was planning to reshuffle his opposition cabinet in the run-up to next year’s general election.

Addressing this, Rayner told the BBC: “The important thing is that I will be the deputy prime minister and I will be the deputy leader of the Labour Party, so actually the important job is around supporting Keir as the leader.”

“To me, the important job is getting into Government and then delivering, and wherever that is and however I use my skills within that, I am happy to do that.

“It is an absolute honour and a privilege to be an MP for my constituency, and to be on the front bench, and to do the job I am doing, and to be His Majesty’s Government would be an incredible honour, and I take that seriously and would do whatever it takes to improve the lives of British people in whatever role that is.”

This is not the first time that Rayner has emphasised her desire to be Deputy PM, with a Labour insider telling The Mail on Sunday: “Sounds like Angela is bouncing – or trying to bounce – Keir into giving her that formal title.”

Today, as part of his reshuffle, Starmer gave her not only the title of ‘Shadow Deputy Prime Minister’, but also ‘shadow levelling up secretary’.

The role previously belonged to Labour MP Lisa Nandy.

More appointments are due to be announced throughout the day.

Shockingly, latest polls suggest that the Labour Party are set to secure a strong victory at the next General Election. Uncertainty caused by numerous changes in Tory leadership and a lack of public support for PM Rishi Sunak are believed to be serious contributing factors.