Angela Rayner has issued her clearest challenge to Sir Keir Starmer yet, warning that Labour is “running out of time” to deliver change and cannot “go through the motions in the face of decline”.
In a speech at an event by left-wing campaign group Mainstream, the former deputy prime minister said the party had come to be seen as representing “the establishment, not working people” and called for a change of course.
Ms Rayner – who has long been seen as a possible challenger to Sir Keir – cited immigration reform as a key concern, suggesting that changes to indefinite leave to remain for people already living in Britain would be a “breach of trust”, dubbing the reforms “un-British”.
It was a real pleasure to hear @AngelaRayner give a keynote speech at our Spring social this evening.
— Mainstream (@mainstreamlbr) March 17, 2026
She’s delivered amazing things while in Government, and she’ll no doubt do more brilliant work in the future. pic.twitter.com/GJ6aMQByGY
The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne resigned as housing secretary and deputy prime minister last year after a row over her underpayment of stamp duty on a new property.
She has since been widely seen as a potential successor to Sir Keir amid rumblings of a leadership challenge in the face of devastating approval ratings and questions over the direction of the government.
There have also been reports that she could run on a joint ticket with health secretary Wes Streeting to challenge the prime minister after the local elections in May, which are expected to deliver a brutal result for Labour.
In an apparent attack on Shabana Mahmood’s plans to overhaul the system, Ms Rayner said: “Many people came here to Britain – on the understanding that if they worked in the sectors where we needed them, obeyed the law and paid their taxes, they could stay.
“If we suddenly change that, it pulls the rug from under those who have planned their lives and commitments and are contributing to our economy and to our society.
“That would be not just bad policy but a breach of trust. The people already in the system – who made a huge investment – now fear for their future, they do not have stability and do not know what will happen.
“We cannot talk about earning a settlement if we keep moving the goalposts, because moving the goalposts undermines our sense of fair play. It’s un-British.”
The home secretary has announced plans to double the time it takes for migrants to qualify for permanent residence from five to 10 years, arguing that long-term settlement is a “privilege” that must be earned.
Other requirements, such as speaking English to a higher standard, will also need to be met in order to stay in Britain, the government has said.
Ms Rayner said: “As a party, and as a movement, we cannot hide, we cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline.
“There’s no safe ground and we’re running out of time.
“The change that people wanted so desperately needs to be seen, it needs to be felt, and we have to show that it is a Labour government that will deliver it.”
Ms Rayner spoke after Folkestone MP Tony Vaughan, who has coordinated a letter thought to have been signed by more than 100 Labour parliamentarians, urged the government to rethink its immigration proposals.
The home secretary has argued that Labour values have guided the changes, but that firm but fair action is needed.
In a speech earlier this month, she said: “Restoring order and control at our border is not a betrayal of Labour values, it is an embodiment of them, and it is the necessary condition for a Labour government to achieve anything it hopes to.”
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