A former Labour activist has claimed that an alleged plot to fix a local election result was discussed in Angela Rayner’s kitchen while the former deputy prime minister was at home. Phil Wilson-Marks, a former vice-chairman of Ms Rayner’s constituency party, told the Daily Mail that he was approached by local Labour councillor Vimal Choksi MBE during a social gathering at her home in the summer of 2025.
Allegations of a Spoiler Candidate
According to Mr Wilson-Marks, the conversation revolved around the possibility of putting up an independent candidate to split the anti-Labour vote, thereby benefiting Atta Ul-Rasool, a Labour candidate regarded as a ‘protégé’ of Ms Rayner. Mr Ul-Rasool was the only Labour victor in the Tameside council elections on May 7, winning the St Peter’s ward by just 177 votes. All other seats were won by Reform UK.
“There was a lot of worry at the time about the rise of Reform, and Labour’s vote collapsing,” Mr Wilson-Marks said. “It was suggested to me that we could put up an independent candidate as a spoiler and split the anti-Labour vote. Angela was definitely in the house at the time, but she wasn’t involved in the conversations I had at all. I dismissed the idea as dishonest, and it’s one of the reasons I subsequently left the Labour Party.”
Police Investigation
Greater Manchester Police have arrested five people—four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47—on suspicion of election fraud in connection with the allegations. The police investigation focuses on the process of how candidates were put forward for the election.
Two independent candidates, including Marie Fairhurst, who is understood to have learning difficulties and was reportedly unaware she was on the ballot paper, received a total of 291 votes between them despite not campaigning or attending the count. Three out of four ‘assentors’ who nominated these candidates were pictured at Mr Ul-Rasool’s campaign launch in March.
Denials and Reactions
Ms Rayner has previously dismissed the idea that she was involved in any planting of fake candidates as “obvious nonsense.” She is understood to be adamant that she was not involved in, or aware of, any alleged wrongdoing. A spokesman for Ms Rayner reiterated that the allegations were baseless.
Mr Choksi has described the claims as “bonkers,” arguing that installing fake candidates would only have diluted the party’s vote. A Labour Party spokesman said: “No evidence has been presented of any Labour Party involvement in these allegations. We categorically reject any suggestion that the Party was involved.”
Mr Choksi and Mr Ul-Rasool have been approached for comment. Mr Wilson-Marks, who later joined the Green Party and stood unsuccessfully in a different Tameside ward, maintains that the conversation took place in Ms Rayner’s kitchen, though she was not part of the discussion.
