Angela Rayner has announced she is writing a memoir as rumours swirl over Keir Starmer‘s future as Labour leader.
The former deputy PM has signed up to pen an ‘authentic’ book about her rise from working class roots to the Cabinet, and subsequent ignominious exit.
There is said to have been a ‘bidding war’ between publishers for the tome, with Westminster publishing veterans suggesting she could be in line for a £100,000 payday – although no details have been confirmed.
Such a sum could prove useful to Ms Rayner, with tax experts believing she might have to hand around £40,000 and penalties to HMRC after admitting underpaying stamp duty. That blunder sparked her resignation in September.
The move – rumoured for some time – will fuel speculation about the PM’s prospects of staying in power.
Dire polls and embarrassing political bungling have left Sir Keir struggling to hang on despite having entered No10 with a massive majority just last year.
Angela Rayner has signed up to pen an ‘authentic’ book about her rise to the Cabinet from working-class roots
Dire polls and embarrassing political bungling have left Sir Keir struggling to hang on despite having entered No10 with a massive majority just last year
Ms Rayner, Wes Streeting and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham are among the big hitters regarded as ‘on manoeuvres’ in case the premier is forced out.
Mayoral and council elections on May 7 are seen as a critical moment, despite the government having controversially delayed some of the contests.
The timing of Ms Rayner’s book – slated for the ‘second half of 2026’ – has also raised eyebrows as Sir Keir has already said he wants her back in the Cabinet.
‘How can she publish a book with anything remotely interesting if she is in the Cabinet?’ one publishing veteran said.
A ghostwriter is being brought in to capture Ms Rayner’s ‘plain-speaking’ style, while she will read the audiobook version herself.
A friend told the Guardian that Ms Rayner wanted to ‘inspire and encourage’ others from a similar background.
‘There’s been huge interest from publishers. This won’t be your standard politician’s memoir. It will be authentically Angela and in her own voice,’ they said.
A Westminster source with experience of political publishing said ‘£100,000 is not out of the question’ as a payday for Ms Rayner, stressing much will depend on how much demand there is to serialise any revelations in the media.
Another publishing veteran said that kind of sum would be contingent on ‘what she is willing to say’.
Alice Skinner, the editorial director of The Bodley Head, who acquired the memoir, said: ‘We are so delighted and proud to be publishing Angela Rayner.
‘Her book will be unvarnished and upfront – you can expect her authenticity to shine through – and an empowering vision for a fairer, kinder society that will enable everyone to flourish. It will spark change, one reader at a time.’
The Bodley head is an imprint within the Penguin Random House UK stable.
