Angela Rayner Denies Any Connection to 'Fake' Leadership Campaign Website
Angela Rayner has firmly denied any involvement with an unfinished website that briefly appeared online in January, promoting her as a candidate for the Labour leadership. Her team has dismissed the site as a 'fake' that was neither commissioned by her nor created with her knowledge, sparking further speculation about internal party dynamics.
Website Briefly Went Live in January Before Being Removed
The Guardian was alerted to the website, which appeared to be under construction, by a source in the IT industry. It was published, seemingly by accident, on a 'staging site' before being swiftly removed from the internet. The domain name angelaforleader.co.uk was registered within minutes of the apparent publishing error at 9.48am on 27 January, using the same company – Webfusion – as her official parliamentary site.
One ally of Rayner described the incident as a 'false flag' operation, suggesting it might have been created with the intention of leaking it online to damage her chances of a future leadership bid. 'This is a crass false-flag operation, obviously designed to undermine Angela. These sort of by-the-playbook dirty tricks would be laughable if this wasn't so serious,' the ally stated.
Content of the Unfinished Website Revealed
The draft website featured pictures of the senior Labour politician along with the words: 'Angela Rayner is running for Leader to fight for working-class Britain.' It included:
- An endorsements page with a working example of 'Joe Bloggs, MP for Whatever'
- A form for party members to join her campaign and list their local constituency party
- Sections titled 'Meet Angela' and 'Why She's Running' with placeholder content about her vision
- Biographical details highlighting her early life as a care worker and trade unionist
- Her political career from MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in 2015 to deputy prime minister
It opened with the words: 'Meet Angela' set against a red background, with the subheading: 'From care worker to deputy prime minister – Angela Rayner's story is the story of working-class Britain.' The menu across the top had links including an offer to party members to 'get involved' and a yellow button for supporters to click to 'join the campaign.'
Timing Coincides with Labour Party Turmoil
The website's appearance comes at a moment of significant pressure for Keir Starmer's leadership. Following the departure of his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and calls for his resignation from Anas Sarwar, Labour's leader in Scotland, Starmer has struggled to contain anger over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Some within the Labour party are openly discussing who might take over should he be brought down by the scandal.
Sources have told the Guardian that Rayner has been planning for a potential leadership campaign for months, including conducting private polling, raising funds, and discussing strategy. However, allies insist she has no intention of moving against Starmer at this time.
Rayner's Team Issues Strong Denial and Threatens Legal Action
A spokesperson for Rayner stated unequivocally: 'This fake website has nothing to do with Angela. It was not commissioned by her or with her knowledge. She will take legal advice given the use of her name and image without her consent.' The spokesperson emphasized that the website was completely unauthorized and represented a misuse of her personal brand.
On Friday, the Daily Mail reported suggestions that Rayner had told friends she 'will be ready' to run should Starmer be forced to resign, but a spokesperson for Rayner rejected that claim. There have even been unsubstantiated claims that her decision to get a haircut was taken with leadership ambitions in mind.
Political Context and Leadership Speculation
Rayner's stock has risen among MPs in recent months as she has spoken out on policy areas she views as her legacies, such as employment rights and leasehold reform, which are also popular with the Labour membership. Some have viewed her intervention in the row over the release of documents relating to Mandelson's appointment as evidence of an attempt to position herself as an alternative leader.
However, Rayner's camp has insisted she merely sought to help the government through a burgeoning crisis. She reportedly warned Starmer privately that the Mandelson appointment would be a mistake because of evidence that Mandelson had retained his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein post-conviction.
Political advisers privately admit that any ambitious politician must prepare for a possible leadership contest long before it is publicly acceptable to do so. In some cases, supporters may seek to pave the way for a campaign without the direct involvement of the candidate themselves.
Challenges and Contenders in the Labour Leadership Race
Rayner also faces the hurdle of an unresolved HMRC investigation into her tax affairs after her resignation as housing secretary last September. Some MPs believe she would not provide the clean slate the party needed in a leadership contest.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who is also regarded as a leadership contender, had a close friendship with Mandelson that, after the scandal that blew up last week, could now be a significant liability. This means there is not an obvious successor ready to move should Starmer leave his position.
The prime minister has publicly said he would welcome Rayner's return to cabinet at some point, while she has suggested she would like to be back on the political frontline, privately telling supporters at a recent fundraising dinner: 'I'm not dead yet.' However, the website incident has added another layer of complexity to the already turbulent Labour leadership landscape.
