Angela Rayner declines to rule out running for Labour leader as she condemns infighting

Allies of Angela Rayner say the former deputy prime minister will seek to renew her public profile in the coming months and would be likely to run in a future leadership contest.

In her first major interview this weekend, Rayner condemned the “arrogant tittle-tattle” and Labour infighting dominating the past week. Rayner, often considered as a potential successor to Keir Starmer, declined to rule out running for the job or returning to frontline politics, saying she had “not gone away”.

However, those close to Rayner, who had been seen as a frontrunner to succeed Starmer until her shock resignation over underpaid stamp duty, say she was significantly shaken by the impact on her family. They said that would be the key factor over whether she would run and that it was nonsense that she was plotting any imminent challenge.

One close ally to Rayner said she had left her role as housing secretary with a much clearer view of how to implement Labour values in government and would be keen to return to do more. She has recently joined the Tribune group of soft Labour MPs, run by the ex-cabinet minister Louise Haigh, which hopes to grow considerably in influence.

Rayner has told her stalwarts she would never have attempted to force Starmer to step down and would have run as leader only if he had made his own decision to resign. “The idea she’d want to be in the heart of the storm again right now is for the birds,” one said. “But if things kick off again after the May elections, then who knows.”

Rayner criticised the briefing against Wes Streeting, the health secretary, accused by some allies of Starmer 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 and I think being around here for the last hour just shows you actually that that tittle-tattle in Westminster, it almost looks arrogant when you’ve got real challenges that real people are facing and that’s what we really need to be focusing on,” she said.

MPs have long suggested that Rayner and Streeting could do a deal over the leadership, though there is no agreement over who would have the top job.