Rayner Warns Labour's Last Chance, Backs Burnham Return — Deputy Prime Minister
Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, warned Labour that it may have its “last chance” after heavy election losses this week and said the party was wrong to block Andy Burnham from standing as an MP. She called on Sir Keir Starmer to “meet the moment” with bolder action as Labour tries to recover from setbacks in England, Wales and Scotland.
Rayner said Labour lost almost 1,500 councillors in local elections across England, was kicked out of power in Wales and returned just 17 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament. She also backed Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, to return to Westminster, adding pressure on a leadership team that is due to try to steady itself on Monday.
Rayner's warning after Thursday
In a 1,000 word statement after Thursday’s elections, Rayner said Labour needed to do more to tackle inequality and “squeezed living standards.” She said the party should give regional mayors more economic powers, raise the minimum wage and be “unafraid to promote new forms of public, community and cooperative ownership across the board.”
Her most direct warning came in the line: “What we are doing isn't working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance.” She also said, “We are in danger of becoming a party of the well-off, not working people.”
Andy Burnham and Westminster
Rayner said Labour had been wrong to block Burnham from standing as an MP earlier this year, referring to the party’s decision to prevent the Greater Manchester mayor from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February. That intervention places Burnham back into the debate over who could challenge Starmer if Labour’s internal pressure grows further.
Rayner is seen as a potential contender to replace Starmer, and Burnham and Wes Streeting are thought to be among the main possible challengers. Catherine West, a backbench MP, said she will seek to trigger a leadership contest if she is “still dissatisfied” after Starmer’s reset speech on Monday.
Starmer's Monday speech
Starmer will try to shore up his premiership in that speech, with Labour facing scrutiny after losses in England, Wales and Scotland. West’s position puts a deadline on the immediate response: if the speech does not satisfy her, she says she will move toward a leadership contest.
For Labour members and MPs, the immediate question is whether the party can turn Thursday’s losses into a reset that holds its current leadership together. Rayner’s warning shows the next test is already here, and the pressure now sits on Starmer to produce something that changes the mood inside his party.
