Labour Party tensions burst into the open on Monday after Angela Rayner delivered a sharply critical speech suggesting Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership had mishandled internal party disputes, including the handling of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
In remarks that will deepen speculation about fractures at the top of government, the Deputy Prime Minister said it was a “mistake” for Mr Burnham to have been blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, and urged the party to move away from “factionalism”.
“So let me be honest, conference,” she told supporters. “We as a party have to do better than this.”
“And we can start by accepting that Andy Burnham should never have been blocked. It was a mistake that the leadership of our party should put right.”
The comments are likely to be interpreted as one of the most direct public challenges yet from a senior Labour figure to decisions taken under Starmer’s leadership, coming at a politically sensitive moment following disappointing local election results.
Ms Rayner called for Labour to “unite our movement” and focus on delivery rather than internal disputes, arguing that voters were judging the party on its ability to improve living standards.
“We must make politics work for ordinary people with an economic agenda to make people better off,” she said.
“Labour exists to make working people better off, and that is not happening fast enough, and that needs to change now.”
Her speech also focused heavily on the cost-of-living crisis, accusing energy companies of benefiting from global instability while households struggled with rising bills.
“People feel hopeless that the cost of living crisis will never end,” she said. “It’s no wonder that across the UK, people feel that the system is rigged against them.”
Ms Rayner said the Government must respond to electoral setbacks by “acknowledging mistakes” and improving delivery in office, adding that Labour would be judged on action rather than rhetoric.
The intervention follows a difficult period for the party after a series of local election losses that have triggered internal criticism of strategy and direction, with multiple MPs publicly questioning leadership decisions.
She also paid tribute to defeated Labour councillors, describing the results as a “historic” setback for the party and warning that voters were signalling dissatisfaction with current policy and performance.
“This has not been an easy moment,” she said. “It’s clear that what we’re doing isn’t working and it needs to change.”
The remarks will intensify scrutiny of relations within Labour’s senior ranks, particularly between Downing Street and figures seen as aligned with the party’s broader left and regional power bases.
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