3 days ago
Rayner's popularity surges with Labour members after leaked tax memo
Angela Rayner has surged in popularity with Labour members after her plans for tax rises were leaked.
Polling by the website LabourList found the Deputy Prime Minister had enjoyed the fastest rise in her favourability rating with members.
She had a +71 rating – the proportion who feel positive about her minus those with negative feelings – up from +46 two months earlier.
Ms Rayner is now second only to Ed Miliband, the Energy and Net Zero secretary, in the Cabinet rankings. He is on +74.
It will be seen as a sign that Labour members supported the tax-raising ideas in her memo, amid growing grassroots unhappiness over welfare and public spending cuts.
The leaked memo, seen by The Telegraph, revealed that Ms Rayner had called on Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, to increase eight taxes in the Spring Statement in March 2025.
She urged the Chancellor to raise taxes by £3billion a year, including increasing corporation tax on banks, extending the freeze on the threshold at which the 45 per cent income tax rate is paid and scrapping the tax-free allowance on dividends.
Disability benefits were cut
Ms Reeves instead chose to cut disability benefits by £5 billion, but is under growing pressure from Labour MPs to water down or abandon them.
The LabourList-commissioned survey, carried out by Survation, found the average Cabinet minister was more popular than they were in the last poll, which was carried out just after the cuts were announced in the Spring Statement.
Hillary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, were the next most popular members.
Ms Reeves was the most unpopular on minus 28, with Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, close behind her on minus 23.
Even Sir Keir Starmer is on minus 7 with members of his own party. All three saw their scores increase when compared with the last poll in April.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, stood at +23, but she was one of the few Cabinet members who saw her approval drop.
Damian Lyons Lowe, chief executive of Survation, said: 'Rayner's 25-point jump since April 3 suggests members strongly back her performance as Deputy Prime Minister.'
Tom Belger, editor of LabourList, said: 'This poll gives a fascinating snapshot of the mood among the party faithful. Many members may be restless, but the notable upward trend for most of the Cabinet members gives ministers a rare piece of good news.'
When it comes to who should be the next Labour leader, Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, was clearly in the lead.
Ms Rayner and Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, came second, even though he is one of the least popular Cabinet ministers among Labour members, with a score of just +7 per cent.
Despite being the most popular Cabinet minister, Mr Miliband only came sixth when it came to the pick for next leader, below Left-wing MP Clive Lewis. However, he fared much better than his brother David.
The survey also found that most Labour members want to see the Government U-turn on welfare reforms and go further in fully reversing winter fuel cuts.
However, they support the Government's decision to oppose Waspi compensation for women born in the 1950s who had their pension age increased.
