Labour’s ruling body to draw up plans for race to replace Rayner

Labour’s ruling body will meet to draw up plans for a deputy leadership election as MPs consider whether to enter the race to replace Angela Rayner.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) will hold talks on Monday aimed at deciding on a timeline and rules for the contest, including how many nominations from MPs will be needed for candidates to make a ballot.

New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has been tasked with tightening the Government’s grip on immigration, has not yet made a decision on whether to run, it is understood.

Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry became the first high-profile figure to announce she was thinking about a bid on Sunday.

The contest was triggered by Ms Rayner’s resignation following an ethics investigation which found she had breached the ministerial code over her underpayment of stamp duty on a seaside flat earlier this year.

Sir Keir Starmer has sought to draw a line under the scandal, completing a major Government reshuffle on Sunday night and telling his new-look Cabinet to “go up a gear” in delivering on Labour’s pledges.

But he now faces the prospect of a party conference overshadowed by manoeuvring for the deputy leadership role vacated by Ms Rayner, who was popular among the grassroots and seen as a bridge between No 10 and the wider party.

Her departure saw tensions flare within Labour over the weekend as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham expressed concern about the “balance of people” left within Cabinet.

He said another voice from the north of England as deputy, such as former transport secretary Louise Haigh or ex-Commons leader Lucy Powell would help to counter what he called the “London-centricity” under Sir Keir’s leadership.

Mr Burnham said the contest should be used as a discussion on the future of the party, telling the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I would like to see our MPs respected more.

“That is the debate we should be having during the deputy leadership contest.”

Defence Secretary John Healey rejected the suggestion the leadership should change its treatment of backbenchers, some of whom lost the whip earlier this year following a rebellion on the Government’s welfare bill.

“I dispute that. Our focus has been on the public that elected us, the delivery that we’re charged to change their lives. It’s a big part of the job we all do,” he said.

“Our Government will miss Angela Rayner. She’s not been a victim. She’s been under a lot of pressure and Andy Burnham’s right about that.

“But she’s been an inspiration to many, particularly working-class women.”

Islington South and Finsbury MP Dame Emily said she believed Labour could “climb out of the doldrums” but needed to put a “spring in its step.”

She confirmed she was mulling a deputy leadership bid, adding: “I’m thinking about it … it’s really a question of what can I bring to it.”

Meanwhile, Ms Rayner is facing Opposition pressure to reject a severance payment which ministers are entitled to when they leave Cabinet.

New Labour rules coming into force in October will allow the Prime Minister to deny a golden goodbye to any members of Government found to have committed a “serious breach” of the ministerial code.

But ministers have said that because Ms Rayner’s departure comes before the changes kick in, it is a decision for her whether or not she takes the payment, which could be as much as £16,876 under existing rules.