Angela Rayner Details Distress Over Death Threats Against Her and Son
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner was described as "distressed and alarmed" after receiving abusive voicemails that threatened to kill both her and her young son, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday. The court was presented with a victim impact statement from Ms Rayner, who revealed she still cannot bring herself to listen to the threatening recordings.
Threatening Communications on Day of Resignation
Elizabeth Harker, a 63-year-old woman from Luton, Bedfordshire, left four voicemails at Ms Rayner's Ashton-under-Lyne constituency office on 5 September 2025. This was the exact same day that Ms Rayner resigned from the Cabinet following revelations about insufficient stamp duty payments on her £800,000 flat in Hove.
In her statement, Ms Rayner explained that her office manager had informed her that "the threats were made with malice." She characterized the behavior as completely unacceptable and said it had caused "great stress and anxiety to all close to me," including her sons, who are under 18 years old, and her parliamentary staff.
Offensive Content and Additional Charges
Prosecutor Olivia Grist detailed the content of the voicemails, which included calling Ms Rayner a "filthy whore" and a "slag," with one message stating "you don't know what is coming to you." Harker had previously pleaded guilty to sending communications that were "grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character."
The case also involved a separate incident where Harker pleaded guilty to sending an offensive letter. On 2 November, she was captured on a Ring security doorbell posting a handwritten note containing abusive language at the Luton home of Dorris Fortune. The note included slurs such as "paedo" and "drop dead scrounge."
Impact on Victims and Defendant's Background
In her victim impact statement, Ms Fortune said that "whoever received this would be very distressed as it is a very offensive note" and that it remained "at the back of my mind" causing anxiety even when she was at home with her dog.
Defense lawyer Lewis Green told the court that Harker has a long-established history of alcohol misuse spanning 30 years, though she claimed to have moderated her drinking recently. Harker was granted conditional bail and ordered to undergo an alcohol treatment assessment ahead of her sentencing scheduled for 24 March.
The prosecution has proposed restraining orders as part of the sentencing hearing. Ms Rayner did not attend Monday's court proceedings, but her written statement provided a powerful account of the psychological impact of the threats against her family.
