'Say the word never': Angela Rayner asked to rule out EVER running for Labour Party leader

Yahoo

25-05-2025

Angela Rayner says she has 'no desire' to become Labour Party leader as she denied leaking a memo in a bid to challenge Keir Starmer.
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP ruled out running for the Labour Party leadership telling Sky News that she is 'very happy and honoured' to be the Deputy Prime Minister. It comes after a secret memo she had written to Rachel Reeves was leaked to the Daily Telegraph.
In the memo, which included 10 proposals, Ms Rayner pushed for a number of tax hikes to avoid the need for further spending cuts.
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Ms Rayner was asked on the Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme if she leaked the memo in an underhand leadership bid.
On the show this morning (May 25), Mr Phillips asked: "There are cynics who say you may have leaked that memo yourself as a kind of mini manifesto for the kind of leadership you'd offer if the Labour Party's need arose. Would you like to knock that one on the head?"
Ms Rayner responded: "Yeah, absolutely not. And I don't want to be leader of the Labour Party. I'm very happy and honoured to do the job that I'm doing."
Mr Phillips then interrupted to ask: "What kind of politician are you? You don't want to be leader of your party?"
Responding, Ms Rayner said: "No, I'm very happy and honoured to be Deputy Prime Minister of this country and I've got a lot in my in-tray to prove that I can do the job that I'm doing and deliver on the milestones for the people of this country. That's what I'm interested in, Trevor."
Mr Phillips continued to press Ms Rayner, saying: "You know this is being recorded don't you? Because actually that means, one day, if you do, somebody's going to play it back to you."
Ms Rayner replied: "Absolutely. I'd be happy for you to play it back to me. I have no desire to go for the leadership of the Labour Party. My desire is to deliver for the people of this country who have given me the opportunity beyond what I could have dreamed of."
Before ending the interview, Mr Trevor told Ms Rayner: "Say the word never."
To which she replied: "Never."
Earlier in the interview, Ms Rayner said that an inquiry is 'under way' into how the memo was leaked.
Asked by Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips if a probe would be launched into how the memo was leaked, Ms Rayner said: 'I think there's one under way, and quite rightly so, because leaks are very damaging.
'It's really damaging, because we have lots of sensitive conversations in the round, all of us, and then we make a collective decision.'
The Deputy PM would not be drawn into saying whether she wanted to see taxes raised, as the memo suggested was needed.
She told Sky News: 'As a matter of principle, I will continue to have those conversations with our Government on how we can bring down the cost of living for working people, support children out of poverty, build the houses we said we're going to do and protect our borders and security.'