How Labour will elect a new deputy leader now Angela Rayner has quit

Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister has also triggered the prospect of an internal Labour election battle to succeed her as deputy leader of the party.

The senior Labour figure resigned from her role as Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy and as housing secretary on Friday, after the Government’s independent ethics adviser concluded she breached the ministerial code when she underpaid stamp duty on her seaside flat.

But she also resigned her post as Labour’s deputy leader, an elected position she won following a vote of the party’s membership in 2020, at the same time Sir Keir was chosen as Jeremy Corbyn’s successor.

In her role as deputy PM, Ms Rayner was widely viewed as a bridge between the more left wing grassroots of Labour and the right of the party which has greater sway over Sir Keir’s Downing Street operation.

The party now finds itself with the prospect of having to elect a new deputy leader, a person who will not necessarily also take up the role of deputy prime minister.

The contest could see the divide between different factions of Labour – and their positions on Sir Keir’s track record in No 10 – brought into the public eye.

The prospect of such a contest will prove a further challenge to Sir Keir, who only at the start of this week initiated a reset of his No 10 operation and claimed the Government was moving on to its second “phase”.

Labour’s internal leadership elections process was changed in 2021 following Sir Keir and Ms Rayner’s victory.

This was because of dissatisfaction among many in the party with the previous process, which led to the election of Mr Corbyn as leader.

Under the current rules, candidates must receive a nomination to stand from 20% of their fellow Labour MPs.

This must be followed by a nomination from 5% of local Labour party branches, known as Constituency Labour Parties or CLPs, as well as three affiliates of the party, at least two of which must be trade unions.

Once candidates have secured these nominations, a ballot is held in which Labour members and affiliates can vote.

The ballot is preferential, and voters will mark in order of preference – 1, 2, 3 and so on – their favoured candidate to succeed Ms Rayner.

Details of when and how the deputy leadership election will be held are understood to be announced in due course, in line with Labour’s rules and procedures.

Hollie Ridley, general secretary of the Labour Party, said: “Angela Rayner has served our party and the country with integrity and played a key role in helping Labour return to government so that we can deliver the national renewal our country needs.

“We thank her for her incredible service as deputy leader of the Labour Party and everyone across the Labour movement wishes Angela and her family the very best for future.

“We have no doubt that she will continue to use her immense talents and dedication to public service to continue fighting for a fairer future for working people.”

Labour MP Richard Burgon, who is on the left of the party, said the membership deserved a “proper election” to replace Ms Rayner, and not a “stitch-up”.

Writing on social media site X, he said: “A vital role of the deputy leader is to be a strong voice for ordinary Labour members. Right now, members are desperate to see a bold shift in direction – one that can help prevent Nigel Farage from ending up in Downing Street.

“Labour members deserve a democratic Labour Party that treats them with respect. So there must now be a proper election for deputy leader, fully in line with the party’s rulebook — and not a leadership stitch-up.”