Angela Rayner warns Labour Nigel Farage will not be defeated with ‘warning’
In a lecture, the ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner – who is tipped to return to government later this month – also rowed in behind Andy Burnham’s vision to rewire the British state
Ex-Deputy PM Angela Rayner warned Labour against ‘caution’(Image: Getty Images)
Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has warned Labour will not defeat Nigel Farage with “caution” – as she called for bold action to take on Reform UK.
In a lecture on Wednesday evening at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), the Labour heavyweight urged her party to tackle the “rigged” system rather than tinkering around the edges.
Ms Rayner said avoiding this would risk feeding into the “right wing populists’ narrative that ‘the establishment can only do more of the same’”.
She said: “Let’s be honest, we have too often left the impression that we found ourselves defending the status quo rather than challenging it. Leaving the seeds of anger, frustration, and resentment to be harvested by those promising something far more toxic.”
She added: “Those who will agree the system is rigged, but then take the side of those who rigged it. Take my Employment Rights Act. Nigel Farage claims to speak for working people.
“But never forget that he voted against new rights for workers – every step of the way. But we will not defeat him with caution. This is a time for boldness—a time for courage.”
Ms Rayner – who is tipped to return to government later this month in Andy Burnham’s Cabinet – also rowed in behind the ex-Greater Manchester mayor’s vision to rewire the country.
In a major speech earlier this week, Mr Burnham’s pledged to establish a “No10 North” based in Manchester as the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain”.
Mr Burnham, who is expected to become Prime Minister on July 20, also plans to hand more powers to mayor’s and local leaders. He added on Monday: “It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down. Instead, it can only be nurtured from the bottom up.”
Addressing the New Economics Foundation (NEF) think-tank’s 40th anniversary, Ms Rayner also called for “real devolution” for regional leaders across the country.
She said: “Not the begging-bowl culture of the past, where regional politicians came to Whitehall with their caps in hand, asking permission to run their own bus routes.”
She told the audience: “Whitehall empires hoard their own power. And layers of governance and bureaucracy, developed with the best of intentions, too often end with the triumph of process over purpose.
“I want to see that purpose restored. To truly get growth in every corner of the country and put more money into people’s pockets, we must rewire England by devolving power and money to the country as a whole.”
She concluded: “This week Andy Burnham put forward a vision of good growth in every British postcode – and hope in every heart. Power in the hands of those who know their communities best.
“An economy that serves people, their places and our planet—not the other way around. That was the founding vision of NEF forty years ago. It is still the right vision. And today, more than ever, it is the one worth fighting for.”
