Angela Rayner: Labour's working-class warrior bounces back

Image source, PA Media By Joshua Nevett Political reporter Published 5 September 2025 Updated 25 minutes ago Earlier this year, Angela Rayner was weighing up whether to reach for the Labour crown if Sir Keir Starmer's leadership was challenged. The resolution of an HMRC investigation into her tax affairs, long seen as a barrier to any leadership bid, cleared a path for the former deputy prime minister to take part in any contest to replace her old boss. But in the end she added her name to the wave of Labour MPs nominating Andy Burnham as leader, propelling the former Greater Manchester mayor into Downing Street uncontested. Now she has made a return to the cabinet, with Burnham giving her back the job of housing secretary from which she resigned in September last year, after admitting she did not pay enough tax on the purchase of a new home. It is a role in which she will play a key part in his drive to devolve power away from Westminster and deliver a major programme of council house building. Her against-the-odds story, personality, and ability to connect with parts of the electorate other politicians have struggled to reach are likely to make her a prominent voice within Burnham's top team. Tough upbringing Born Angela Bowen in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 1980, Rayner grew up on one of the area's poorest council estates and from an early age was caring for her mother, who had bipolar disorder and suffered from depression. Both Rayner's parents were unemployed and speaking in 2017, she remembered having to grow up very quickly. "My mum was a really vulnerable person. I remember, at 10, my mum being suicidal and me sleeping like a dog on the end of her bed, just to try and stay next to her so she didn't do any harm to herself," Rayner said. She has also recalled going to her grandmother's flat on Sundays, so the family could take it in turns to have a bath there. Hot water was too expensive for them to use at home. Angela Rayner's explosive speech reignites leadership speculation Published 18 March Angela Rayner settles tax bill with HMRC Published 14 May Angela Rayner resigns after underpaying tax on Hove flat Published 5 September 2025 Rayner has often spoken about being told she would "never amount to anything", after she left school without any qualifications. But after having her first child at 16, Rayner studied part-time at college, learning British sign language and gaining a vocational qualification in social care. She spent a number of years as a care worker in Stockport, mainly looking after elderly people in their own homes, while also rising quickly through the ranks of the union, Unison. She has described herself as "mouthy", someone who would "take no messing from management". Image source, Alamy In her 20s, she became a full-time union official and eventually, after battles over working conditions and zero-hour contracts, rose to the most senior elected role in Unison in north-west England. It was at Unison she met Mark Ra