Rayner's combative, defiant performance in Commons signals to Labour MPs: I'm here to make a comeback

The time aft Sir Keir Starmer said helium wanted Angela Rayner backmost successful the cabinet, she showed Labour MPs what they've been missing.

The erstwhile lawman premier curate delighted Labour backbenchers with a almighty Commons code defending her workers' rights authorities connected Monday evening.

With the House of Lords locked successful a conflict of parliamentary "ping pong" with MPs, she told ministers: "Now is not the clip to blink oregon buckle."

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Her precise nationalist involution came amid claims that her adjacent determination has the Labour Party connected tenterhooks and that she's the favourite to win Sir Keir if she wants the job.

And her speech, delivered from notes and intelligibly meticulously prepared, appeared to nonstop a connection to Labour MPs: I'm present to marque a comeback.

The government's flagship Employment Rights Bill was championed by Ms Rayner erstwhile she was lawman PM, successful the look of bitter absorption from the Conservatives.

In a bid to extremity the deadlock with the Lords, ministers person backed down connected unfair dismissal extortion from time one, proposing a compromise of six months.

Backing the compromise, brokered with the TUC, Ms Rayner said: "I cognize ministers had faced hard decisions and hard discussions with the employers and idiosyncratic representatives.

"But I powerfully judge that the enactment that has been done has been necessary, and we should beryllium capable to determination guardant now."

Attacking the precocious enclosure for delaying the legislation, she said: "There is present nary much clip to waste.

"Vested interests worked with the Tories and the Lib Dems and, cheered connected by Reform and backed by the Greens, to defy the manifesto connected which we were elected.

"And present determination tin beryllium nary excuses. We person a mandate for a caller woody for moving people, and we must, and we volition present it.

And she concluded: "It has been a conflict to walk this bill, but advancement is ever a conflict that we fought for. Its transition volition beryllium a historical accomplishment for this Labour government.

"It volition payment moving radical present and into the future. Now is not the clip to blink oregon buckle. Let's not discarded a infinitesimal more. It's clip to deliver."

It was the benignant of warring speech and defiance of the government's opponents that volition person cheered up Labour MPs and boosted her hopes of a comeback and adjacent a enactment bid.

It came arsenic speculation implicit Sir Keir's aboriginal grows much frenzied by the day, with claims that adjacent immoderate of his ain supporters person begun the hunt for his successor.

The thinktank that ran his enactment run successful 2020, Labour Together, is reported to beryllium canvassing enactment members connected candidates to regenerate him.

There was adjacent a assertion past week that allies of Wes Streeting were sounding retired Labour MPs astir a pact with Ms Rayner and a associated summons for the leadership.

The wellness caput dismissed that assertion arsenic a "silly play story", portion a Rayner state said: "There's nary vacancy and there's nary pact". They added that she volition not "be played similar a pawn".

Mr Streeting did, however, commencement speculation himself erstwhile helium said successful his Labour league speech: "We privation her back. We request her back."

Fuelling much speculation, Sir Keir went further than helium had antecedently connected Sunday, erstwhile helium was asked successful an Observer interrogation if helium missed her and replied; "Yes, of people I do. I was truly bittersweet that we mislaid her."

And asked if she would instrumentality to the cabinet, the premier curate said: "Yes. She's hugely talented."

Sir Keir besides described Ms Rayner, who near schoolhouse astatine 16 without immoderate qualifications, arsenic "the champion societal mobility communicative this state has ever seen".

But a swift instrumentality to the furniture would beryllium hugely controversial, due to the fact that the PM's ethic adviser, Sir Laurie Magner, ruled that she breached the ministerial codification by underpaying stamp work erstwhile she bought a flat.

But she has been linked to speculation astir imaginable efforts to region Sir Keir if - arsenic predicted - Labour performs severely successful the Scottish, Welsh and section elections adjacent May.

Her supporters besides assertion she volition yet beryllium cleared by HMRC implicit her stamp work breach, clearing the mode for her to travel back.

And her latest code - combative, defiant and yet loyal - volition person boosted her hopes, and reminded Labour MPs what they've missed since she discontinue successful September.