![]() We may have a difference of opinion, and that’s fine, but we generally rub along OK. “We’re all parliamentarians and it’s about respecting the fact that we are all here to represent our constituents. “I speak to, and get on with, Conservative members, SNP members and Lib Dems,” she says, cheerily. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/AFP/Getty Imagesįor all that, she thinks that most parliamentarians of whatever political hue are decent and respectful people trying to do their job as best they can. Rayner was famously accused by anonymous supporters of Boris Johnson of trying to distract him by crossing and uncrossing her legs, a tactic she describes as “ridiculous and abhorrent”. A few weeks ago, SNP deputy Mhairi Black announced she would be stepping down at the next election, citing Westminster’s “outdated sexist and toxic” working environment. A recent report said that 69% of female MPs had witnessed sexist behaviour in parliament in the past five years. In parliament, she has been mocked by Dominic Raab for daring to attend the opera, the inference being it is not for the likes of her. Rayner is that rarer thing still, a Labour politician from a desperately deprived working-class background, whose first-hand experience – growing up in poverty, becoming pregnant at 16, and leaving school early with few prospects – is the defining element of her politics, and her life. They’re not deliberately patronising, it’s more that I’m an enigma ![]() That’s quite rare in politics when people reach a certain level.” A lot of Conservatives don’t meet people like me. She can be a law unto herself, but she hasn’t forgotten where she comes from or who she started out with. “I don’t want to be too unkind to my colleagues, but the parliamentary Labour party is not exactly full of people you’d choose to go to the pub with, but there are still some characters around and Angela is definitely one of them. “The main thing is that she is relatable,” says her friend and colleague Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn. Seated behind her desk in a short-sleeved checked dress, Rayner is ebullient, passionate and down-to-earth, coming across as one of the few politicians in an otherwise capable but dull shadow cabinet who might actually be fun to hang out with. “I’ll definitely be deputy prime minister, otherwise Keir’s got trouble,” she joked to Andrew Marr last October, describing herself as “John Prescott in a skirt” to Keir Starmer’s Tony Blair. If the current opinion polls hold steady and Labour avoids a major scandal or the announcement of any radical policies that frighten off swing voters – both of which are unlikely given their leader’s unwavering commitment to extreme caution – the country should just about be ready for Angela Rayner to become the second most powerful person in the country after the next general election. Ingredients: Salt, Pepper.One wall is filled with ephemera, both personal and political, and on another, a red Perspex sign reads: Ready for Rayner. ![]() Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Garlic, Salt, Dried Garlic, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Spices, Potato Protein, Dried Onion, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Dried Honey, Citric Acid, Tamarind, Dried Vinegar, Xanthan Gum. ![]() Ingredients: Wheat Flour or Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour or Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Malted Barley Flour, Water, Sugar, Yeast, Palm Oil, Wheat Gluten, Dextrose, Salt, Contains 2% or Less: Natural Flavors, Corn Flour, Soybean Oil, Calcium Sulfate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Peroxide, Enzymes, Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Vegetable Proteins (Pea, Potato, Rice), Sunflower Oil, Turmeric, Paprika, Corn Starch, Wheat Starch, Acetic Acid. Grilled with Clarified Butter (Pasteurized Milk ). Ingredients: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Water, Salt, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Honey, Onion Powder, Natural Flavor, Dried Vinegar, Rice Starch.
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