Angela Rayner

Rayner was born on 28 March 1980 in Stockport, Greater Manchester.[1] She attended Avondale School in Stockport, leaving the school aged 16 after becoming pregnant, and did not obtain any qualifications.[2][3] She later studied part-time at Stockport College, learning British Sign Language, and qualifying as a social care worker.[1]

After leaving college, Rayner worked for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council as a care worker for a number of years. During this time, she was also elected as a trade union representative for Unison.[4] She was later elected as convenor of Unison North West, becoming the union's most senior official in the region.[5][6] The Guardian featured a lengthy profile of Rayner in 2012, as part of an article on a trade union officer's working life.[7]

In September 2014, Rayner was selected to become Labour's candidate for the seat of Ashton-under-Lyne, after the retirement of David Heyes. She won the seat at the 2015 general election, increasing both the Labour majority and its share of the vote in the constituency.[8][9] She delivered her maiden speech in the House of Commons on 3 June 2015.

Rayner nominated Andy Burnham in the 2015 Labour leadership election, but the following year became one of just 18 Members of Parliament (MP) to back the incumbent Jeremy Corbyn against challenger Owen Smith in the 2016 leadership election.[10]

Rayner in 2017

On 1 July 2016, after a series of resignations from the Shadow Cabinet, Corbyn appointed Rayner to the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Education.[5] She wrote that decreasing teachers' salaries would lead to shortages in those joining the profession.[11] She championed the policy of a ’National Education Service’, which would be modelled along similar lines to the UK National Health Service, as well as promoting an increase in funding to early years education.[12] For her role of Shadow Education Secretary, she was considered by some as a possible future Labour Leader.[13][14]

Rayner speaking at the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election hustings in Bristol

In the 2019 general election, Rayner successfully defended her Ashton-under-Lyne seat, being returned as Member of Parliament for the third time in 5 years. She opted to not run for the Labour leadership in the 2020 leadership election, choosing to support her flat-mate Rebecca Long-Bailey, who came second to Keir Starmer, and instead successfully stood for Deputy Leader. She was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party on 4 April 2020, replacing Tom Watson. She was appointed Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow First Secretary of State and Chair of the Labour Party in the following days.[15][16][17] In October 2020 Rayner called Greater Manchester Conservative MP Chris Clarkson 'scum' as he was giving a speech in Parliament at the time.[18] She later apologised.[19][20]

Rayner identifies as a socialist.[21][22] In a 2017 interview to The Guardian discussing her political beliefs, Rayner highlighted her pragmatism, describing herself as being part of the "soft left" of the Labour Party.[13] She is an ardent supporter of Palestinian rights, condemning the killings of Palestinians during the Great March of Return and has repeatedly cited Israeli violations of human rights against Palestinians on social media. She is also a member of the Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East.[23] She has strongly criticised former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as he 'did not command the respect of the party' and critiqued his lack of 'discipline' when it came to dealing with allegations of antisemitism.[24]

In 2010, she married Mark Rayner, a Unison official.[1] She has three sons: Ryan, who was born when she was aged 16; Jimmy; and Charlie.[2] Charlie was born prematurely at 23 weeks and Rayner says that the care he received demonstrated the importance of the NHS to her.[6][25] Rayner lives in her constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne with her family. She became a grandmother in November 2017.[26]

In an interview with Evan Davis of the BBC in 2018, Rayner said that her mother had been unable to read or write; a repeat of part of a tribute she made to her mother in 2016.[27]

In March 2019, Rayner said that she had fitted panic buttons at her home after rape and death threats were sent to her a few weeks earlier.[28] In March 2020, she confirmed she had been suffering symptoms of coronavirus disease and was self-isolating following medical advice.[29]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Angela Rayner.

• Official website
• Twitter
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• UNISON blog