Angela Rayner

Party chair and deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, was first elected as the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in 2015. Born in Stockport, Rayner left school at 16 without gaining any qualifications after becoming pregnant. Raising her son as a single mother, she went to college part-time, where she qualified as a social care worker and worked for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. It was in this role that she became aware of trade unionism and became a trade union representative for Unison. She progressed through the ranks, eventually becoming Unison’s North West convenor — one of their most prominent roles. In 2014, she was selected as Labour’s candidate for Ashton-under-Lyne. Shortly after her successful election, she joined the housing, communities and local government committee. Following Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership victory in September 2015, Rayner was appointed as an opposition whip. In January 2016, she became a shadow minister for work and pensions. In June 2016, after several shadow cabinet ministers resigned in protest to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Rayner was appointed as shadow minister for women and equalities, and following Corbyn’s second leadership victory, shadow education secretary – she held this position until April 2020. As shadow education Secretary, Rayner promoted the Labour policy of creating a National Education Service and the abolition of tuition fees. Rayner was widely tipped as a potential successor to Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, but in January 2020 she opted to join the race for the deputy leadership instead. She was elected deputy leader in April 2020.