Deputy leadership Race to find successor will re-expose party's divisions

Angela Rayner's resignation not only as deputy prime minister but as deputy Labour leader will trigger a fierce internal election battle to find her successor, and potentially a simultaneous battle for the soul of the party, again.

- Aletha Adu Political correspondent

Rayner, who was widely seen by many across the party as a future leader, dramatically quit her two government positions and the party's deputy leadership yesterday after the independent adviser on ministerial interests concluded she had breached the code by underpaying stamp duty on her seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex.

The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne won the deputy leadership in 2020 in the same ballot that propelled Keir Starmer, who had effectively charmed the Labour membership, to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.

Her resignation now forces Labour to hold an election for the deputy leader, though the winner will not become the deputy prime minister - as David Lammy has now been appointed the role.

This contest comes at a problematic time for Starmer. The prime minister had just promised a "phase two" reset of his administration earlier this week, and polling has consistently been against Labour over the summer.

A YouGov tracker last month put Starmer's personal rating at 24% favourable and 68% unfavourable.

Within the Labour party, a poll by Survation showed members were frustrated, with 64% saying the party was "heading in the wrong direction". The prime minister's net favourability with members had slipped to -9 points.

But the same polls showed how certain ministers and MPs remained popular with Labour's grassroots, and this could shape the deputy race.