Keir Starmer has a reputation for being ruthless when it’s required. We’re about to find out if that holds true when it comes to the fate of the government’s most powerful woman, Angela Rayner, whose future now hangs in the balance as pressure builds from both the media and her political opponents.
Two reputations are at stake here as Parliament resumes and all players prepare for their annual booze-fuelled-gossip-fest conference gatherings: a prime minister damaged by a poor start, and a deputy damaged by ill-informed judgment, with the public watching closely for any sign of weakness.
There’s no doubt that Angela Rayner avoided tax. Something she’s – successfully – attacked opponents for in the past. The ethics advisor will now act quickly – probably within days – to decide whether that was intentional or ill-advised. A verdict of bad advice could spare her, but she will be damaged goods.
She has ample credibility with some voters and many in the Labour movement because of her personal story of ascendancy against the odds. But hypocrisy kills that. It’s hard to see how you can remain a believable champion for ‘working people’ at the helm of a government that is almost certainly set on tax rises, whilst you try to build 1.5m new homes, having admitted you avoided paying £40,000 to HMRC on one of your own.
We’re about to learn two things: is Rayner’s reputation irreparable and, if so, is Starmer’s about to be strengthened in the eyes of his party and the wider electorate?
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By Robin Brant, Associate Director, Reputation