Angela Rayner

MP for Ashton-under-Lyne

Angela’s Candidate Statement

“I’m standing because I want to offer socialism that’s rooted in real people’s lives. By uniting, we can hold the Tories to account and challenge their cuts, privatisation, and environmental failure. But we can go further – using our collective strength to support communities under attack, and rebuild trust in our Party.

From the day I joined a trade union as a care worker and teenage mum, I’ve understood the power of politics to change lives. As a union rep, then MP and Shadow Education Secretary, I’ve devoted my life to our movement. I have learned to fight – and win. I know a Labour government can be won by positive, member-led movements, delivered in a way that people understand and trust.

That means learning the lessons of those defeats, listening to our members and supporters, and working together to win back power. To me, that’s what collective leadership is about. If we don’t reverse the long-term trends that led to four successive election losses, and convince people to join us on that journey, we face irrelevance.

Having never finished school myself, I was humbled to develop Labour’s National Education Service and proud to fight for free education, from cradle-to-grave.

As we begin the long fight back, I’ll be campaigning alongside you every step of the way. Our membership and leadership, united in positive co-operation and action, can and must forge a path back to power.

That’s my pitch to you: common sense socialism, community campaigning, and fighting to win.”