Angela Rayner’s recent attack on Keir Starmer has prompted a robust response from Independent readers, many of whom expressed strong opinions on the direction they want the Labour Party to take.
The discussion follows a speech by Rayner to the soft-left campaign group Mainstream, in which she criticised Starmer’s leadership, described the party as “establishment, not working people,” and challenged Shabana Mahmood’s proposed immigration reforms.
Readers largely agreed with The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul that her timing was controversial, coming while her own tax affairs remain unresolved and as Labour shows early signs of recovery in opinion polls.
Many in our community supported Rayner’s call for bolder leadership, arguing that Labour must focus on real change and working-class priorities, rather than maintaining the status quo.
Others urged patience and stability, stressing that no government can enact immediate solutions and that Starmer should be allowed to consolidate his leadership.
Across the debate, readers were divided on how to respond: in a recent poll, 48 per cent said Labour should back Rayner, 33 per cent wanted the party to stick with Starmer, and 19 per cent preferred a “wait and see” approach, reflecting the tension between calls for renewal and the need for steady governance.
Here’s what you had to say:
Track record of disloyalty
Rayner has got a track record of disloyalty. She tried to unseat Starmer as Labour leader in 2021 and failed, so there's no reason to think he won't see her off. Her timing is weird because the tax investigation is still ongoing, meaning that she's under a cloud, and her complaint that Labour isn't tackling the cost of living will be toast when the new financial year starts and the changes announced in the budget kick in.
As to the speed of change, Labour doesn't have a magic wand – no government does – and the party will have to be patient no matter who is leader. I think this is about a pro-Burnham caucus of MPs from the northwest who are panicking because they can feel momentum ebbing. I'm incredibly angry with them because they are spitting on all the hard work done by party members like me who put in the hard yards to get them elected, turning out to leaflet and canvass. After 14 years of Tory misgovernment, the only thing Labour can do is keep on going, and focus on governing, not infighting.
Starmer is a weak leader
I totally disagree with John’s comment that she is 'offending all three audiences she needs to impress.' This is a generalised view. You don't know specifically how many are offended or how many supporters she currently has in the bag.
Rayner may have many supporters who want her to succeed, and I guess she wouldn't show her hand if she wasn't sure she could win. Let's be clear, Starmer is a weak leader and very unpopular.
I think if Labour sink to fourth place in the May elections, Labour MPs will be thinking if they don't change leader, they will lose their seats at the next GE.
Therefore, Rayner needs to show her hand now in order to garner the support she will need to challenge for the top job.
Concentrate on constituency
I'm a Labour voter, but this is indicative of why they can never be trusted to run the country. Instead of backing Starmer in his decisions and consolidating their newly won power, the backbenchers – and some of the frontbenchers – are constantly undermining his authority and playing into the hands of the opposition and the predominantly Tory press. Angela Rayner needs to concentrate on her own constituency. Ashton-under-Lyne is a mess, considering its MP was once deputy leader of the Labour party.
Focus on real issues
Is Rayner the new Corbyn for the right-wing press?
Nearly everybody knows, as Theresa May once said, "Change gonna come"; however, as Tony Blair said, "The kaleidoscope has been shaken," it has though yet to settle.
The local elections, the Middle East, and the repercussions – Starmer is probably safe for now.
Politics is more than tabloid stories; who is up or down, plenty of problems at home need sorting. Better for Labour to work on those rather than regime change at present.
Irony in treachery
Deeply ironic to call Rayner “treacherous” when you consider the manner in which Starmer fooled the Labour left into thinking he was one of them until he became leader and then carried out one of the biggest purges in the party’s history. I feel no sympathy at all – he is the man who courted Trump obsequiously until his cabinet said enough was enough. There is nothing brave about standing up to Trump when he knows he would be finished if he didn’t.
Shock for new MPs
As I have said before, it must be a shock for people like Rayner to arrive in Westminster as new MPs and discover how the middle class runs their party. Starmer gave the impression immediately upon gaining power that he didn't have a vision of what to do. He fails to convey any confidence to his core voter base and seems to spend too much time abroad.
Cobrynista in sheep’s clothing
Mahmood's reforms are a balanced and sensible way forward. She should be supported to the hilt. The alternative, Rayner, is another Corbynista in sheep's clothing. She would consign the Labour party to unelectability and we would then get either more grotesque Tory mismanagement or the horrible reforms.
This isn't a time for name-calling. This is a time for grown-up government, which sometimes means taking tough decisions. Top of my list would be to stop giving away citizenship so lightly as we do. Citizenship is an irrevocable decision, so it should be granted sparingly.
A change of policies, not leader
Rayner is now being put forward as a replacement for Starmer. I cannot see how that could work out well (not that I have much enthusiasm for Starmer). For one thing, the circumstances under which Rayner resigned would, in my view, make a return very difficult – you cannot just leap from resigning to leading the country as PM. The opposition parties and right-wing press would quickly remind the public that she had resigned and would target her from day one.
Secondly, she appears to have no clear set of alternative policies to those of Starmer – this would be more a change of leader than one of policy. At the moment, there does not seem to be any alternative leader available to Starmer. What Labour needs, in my opinion, is a change of policies. They need to move very fast indeed.
Speech brings her down
This speech has brought Rayner down in my estimation. It's trite and platitudinous, with all the frisson of a wet tuba. It's also cowardly: if you're going to criticise Starmer, do it openly and honestly; don't use shadow puppetry.
Its timing is weird, too, coming just as Starmer's doing a pretty good job managing what could be the trickiest geopolitical crisis in my lifetime. I definitely wouldn't want Rayner as PM right now.
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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