Angela Rayner is back in the cabinet as housing secretary after an HMRC review cleared the way and Labour moved under Andy Burnham.
Angela Rayner is back in the cabinet, returning as housing secretary under Andy Burnham after an HMRC review over her tax affairs cleared the way for her comeback. The move puts Angela Rayner, once seen as a possible contender for the top job, back at the center of Labour politics as the party resets under new leadership.
Rayner had resigned from government in September last year after admitting she had not paid enough tax on the purchase of a new home. That controversy had been viewed as a major obstacle to any future leadership run. After the HMRC investigation was resolved, she joined the group of Labour MPs nominating Burnham, helping push the former Greater Manchester mayor into Downing Street uncontested.
Her return gives Burnham a senior figure with a strong public profile and a political style that has long set her apart. As housing secretary, she is expected to play a central part in his plan to move power away from Westminster and in a large-scale push for council house construction. Her mix of personal story and blunt speaking has made her one of Labour’s most recognizable voices.
Born Angela Bowen in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 1980, Rayner grew up on one of the area’s poorest council estates. She has spoken often about caring for her mother, who had bipolar disorder and depression, while both of her parents were unemployed. She left school without qualifications, later had her first child at 16, studied part-time, worked as a care worker, and rose through Unison before entering Parliament in 2015 as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne.
Rayner later became Labour deputy leader and a key figure in Sir Keir Starmer’s project to rebuild the party, though the relationship was sometimes strained. She also developed a reputation for hard-edged attacks on the Conservatives, especially during the Downing Street pandemic parties row, while occasionally apologizing when she went too far. Her political resilience was also tested by scrutiny over her tax affairs, including a police investigation in 2024 that did not result in a criminal offence.
After settling £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty and saying she had been exonerated of deliberately trying to avoid tax, Rayner signaled she would not trigger a Labour leadership contest. With her return to cabinet, she now steps back into a prominent role in Burnham’s team. For Labour, her comeback means one of its most effective working-class voices is once again shaping the party’s direction.
