Angela Rayner is facing growing calls to resign after she admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty on the purchase of her £800,000 seaside flat.
The deputy prime minister, who has referred herself to Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics advisor, insisted she made a mistake based on the advice she received at the time. But opposition figures have pointed out that the housing secretary has failed to follow the rules that she oversees.
Pressure is likely to grow in the coming days, putting Sir Keir in an extremely difficult position, and her resignation would cause a serious headache for the prime minister. But who are the likely candidates to replace her?
Who could replace Ms Rayner as deputy prime minister?
Ms Rayner’s role as deputy prime minister is derived from her role as deputy leader of the Labour Party – a position elected by the membership. While she is unlikely to leave this role, there is a chance she might have to step down as deputy PM, while remaining in her party position.
A number of people could replace her, but the most likely option is that the prime minister leaves the role vacant. DPM is normally a position handed out to ensure loyalty of a top performer in the party, and isn’t an essential role. The most likely outcome, were Ms Rayner to resign, would be for Sir Keir to save it for when he really needs it.
He could create a new role, such as first secretary, to act as DPM in parliament and fill in for events such as Prime Minister’s Questions. Theresa May did this with her deputy, Damian Green.
If he does press ahead with a replacement, here are the likely contenders:
Pat McFadden
Pat McFadden is the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for intergovernmental relations. He is widely seen as a safe pair of hands and has long been pegged as a possible replacement for Rachel Reeves. But as Sir Keir continues to insist the chancellor is going nowhere, there is a chance Mr McFadden could be moved into Ms Rayner’s brief instead.
Having previously served as political secretary to former prime minister Tony Blair, he is highly loyal to Sir Keir. He was also considered a key architect of Labour’s 2024 election victory in his role as national campaign co-ordinator.
Darren Jones
Just this week, Darren Jones was handed a major promotion when he was moved into Downing Street as chief secretary to the prime minister. Many now see Mr Jones as being Sir Keir’s de facto deputy, as the move was part of the prime minister’s plan to bolster his No 10 operation ahead of the budget, meaning his role straddles both the day-to-day running of government and the Treasury.
Wes Streeting
One of the more high-profile Cabinet ministers, the health secretary, is another figure who could be in line to replace Ms Rayner in the DPM’s office. He is widely seen to have done a good job managing the NHS – one of the chunkiest briefs in government.
However, he is one of the more unpopular Cabinet ministers among Labour members, ranking 21st in Labour List’s Cabinet league table - with only. Ms Reeves, Lord Hermer and Liz Kendall behind him. On the downside, he is also seen as a potential replacement for Sir Keir, so appointing him could be counterproductive.
Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper is another prominent Cabinet figure entrusted with one of the most important briefs in government, handling both migration and law and order.
She is much more popular among Labour members, ranking seventh in LabourList’s Cabinet league table. However, she is yet to persuade voters that the party is doing enough to bring down small boat crossings – meaning that promoting her at this stage could end up being an electoral liability for Sir Keir.
Who could replace Rayner as housing secretary?
Ms Rayner’s position as housing secretary is very likely under threat, given that the allegations directly relate to her housing situation and mean she has oversight over the area subject to scrutiny. But who could replace her?
Matthew Pennycook
Matthew Pennycook is Angela Rayner’s deputy in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, making him a logical replacement. Before the election, he served in the same role in the shadow front bench team, a position he held from 2021. But he has never held a full Cabinet or shadow Cabinet role, meaning he could be sidelined by more experienced operators. He is respected as a solid operator and is often deployed on the morning broadcast round.
Peter Kyle
Peter Kyle is seen as a more competent member of Sir Keir’s frontbench, and there has long been talk of a promotion for the science and technology minister. But without a full reshuffle, there has not yet been the opportunity to move him to a more prominent brief. If Ms Rayner were to go, Mr Kyle is likely to be in the running as a possible replacement. Mr Kyle is also said to want a new job and is not enjoying the Department of Science and Information Technology.
Douglas Alexander
Douglas Alexander has a significant amount of government experience, serving as a minister between 2001 and 2010 and spending four years in Cabinet. He was a minister of state in four departments and served as secretary of state for both transport and Scotland, and served as international development secretary between 2007 and 2010.
The MP, who was first elected in 1997, has enough experience to put him in a strong position to replace Ms Rayner. It seems like just a matter of time for someone of Mr Alexander’s experience to find himself in the Cabinet.
Steve Reed
Steve Reed, who is the environment secretary, has significant local government experience. He was the leader of Lambeth Council for more than six years before being elected to Parliament in 2012, a role which saw him intervene on council tax, social housing and children’s services.
He has impressed by standing firm on the farm tax and challenging water companies on sewage spills in his role at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Mr Reed is probably the only potential candidate to end up with both of Ms Rayner’s roles.
