Rayner: No 10 officials guilty of 'self-harm' by briefing anonymously against ministers

Angela Rayner has hit back at anonymous No 10 officials who have briefed against senior cabinet ministers in recent months, warning them they are committing "self-harm".

- Kiran Stacey Pippa Crerar

The deputy prime minister launched an outspoken defence of herself and other colleagues - often women - who have found themselves the subject of negative headlines, with several being tipped for the sack at a future reshuffle.

Speaking to the Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast, Rayner reflected on an occasionally turbulent first year in power and admitted to occasional frustrations at the way in which some Labour ministers have been criticised.

"Sometimes there are briefings and I don't know where these alleged sources are and who is the person that is saying this," she said. "That can be quite frustrating, because people will say it's No 10's briefing or it's a source from No 10. But in reality, it's like: 'Well, who said that?'"

"We've had these briefings that my colleagues - Bridget [Phillipson, the education secretary], Lisa [Nandy, the culture secretary]... [and] I am being marginalised. I'm like: 'Where is that coming from?'"