Overview

• Angela Rayner resigned after admitting she underpaid stamp duty, with the independent ethics adviser finding a ministerial code breach committed in good faith.
• Keir Starmer carried out a rapid reshuffle, elevating David Lammy to deputy prime minister, as Defence Secretary John Healey said Rayner was “not a victim” and backed the new team.
• The party’s NEC is due to decide the deputy leadership contest timetable and rules on Monday, with figures on the left urging a fair, member-led process without a stitch‑up.
• Dame Emily Thornberry said she is considering a bid, while Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham urged a ‘reset’ and promoted northern candidates such as Louise Haigh or Lucy Powell.
• Unions and left MPs voiced fears of watering down workers’ rights, but Healey insisted manifesto promises would be delivered, as warnings grew about electoral pressure from Reform UK.