Starmer has insisted he would like to bring Rayner back into the Cabinet “at the right point”, telling Times Radio this morning:
“I’ve always said that Angela has not only played a big part in uh Labour politics, in our country’s politics, but got a big part to play in the future. That’s not new…She’s got a huge contribution um to make and I look forward to her making it. I would like to have Angela back at the right point and I’ve always been clear that she’s got a future role to play. She’s a fantastic asset for the Labour party. She played a huge part in the achievement that we got at the last election um getting elected. She will be a big voice, in the future as well as the past.“
Meanwhile, the Mail reports that Rayner had built a “war chest” as part of a leadership plot to challenge Starmer, with one Rayner ally saying “she has received more than a million pounds in firm pledges and is ready to go”. Keep your friends close…
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock was asked if Burnham will take Britain back into the EU:
“Yes, sure – his commitment is authentic. He really does understand from the grassroots up why restoring what I think of as normality in our continent is vital for every party economically, politically, culturally, in terms of security, and he’s able to articulate it in language that people can understand. So yeah, he is definitely”.