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Angela Rayner is reportedly orchestrating a strategic move to the safe seat of Hove in a bid to salvage her political career, following her shock resignation as Deputy Prime Minister in September.
The former Housing Secretary, who stepped down after a ministerial code breach regarding unpaid stamp duty, is said to be eyeing the Sussex constituency to avoid a humiliating defeat to Reform UK in her northern heartland. The move comes as the Labour Party grapples with a widening "bricks and mortar" crisis, with Ms Rayner becoming the latest high-profile figure to fall foul of property-related controversies.
The ‘Chicken Run’ to the Coast
Westminster insiders claim Ms Rayner has opened back-channel negotiations to replace the current Hove MP, Peter Kyle. Under the reported plan, Mr Kyle would stand down to accept a peerage in the House of Lords, vacating a seat he held with a comfortable majority of 19,791 at the last election.
The manoeuvre—dubbed a "chicken run" by critics—is driven by internal polling suggesting Ms Rayner’s current constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne is no longer safe. Reform UK surged to second place in July 2024, and following Ms Rayner’s tax scandal, analysts predict the seat could turn blue-collar populist at the anticipated 2029 general election.
"Angela knows the writing is on the wall in Ashton," one Labour source told this paper. "She needs a fortress in the south if she wants to remain a kingmaker—or a future King—of the party."
Fall from Grace: The Stamp Duty Scandal
Ms Rayner’s grip on power loosened significantly on September 5, 2025, when she resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary. An independent investigation concluded she breached the ministerial code by failing to pay approximately £40,000 in stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove.
While Ms Rayner cited "incorrect legal advice" and the need to protect her family’s privacy as reasons for the error, the optics of a Housing Secretary underpaying tax on a second home proved politically fatal.
The scandal marks a stark contrast to Ms Rayner’s carefully cultivated backstory. Born into poverty in Stockport, she left school pregnant at 16 with no qualifications. Raised on a council estate where she once recalled having "no books" because her mother could not read, she rose from being a care worker and Unison representative to the second-highest office in the land. Becoming a grandmother at just 37, she often used her "Grangela" moniker to connect with working-class voters—a connection now strained by revelations of her property portfolio.
A Pattern of Property Controversies
Ms Rayner is not the only senior Labour figure to be unseated by property scandals in 2025, leading to accusations that the party of the workers has become the party of landlords.
Rushanara Ali, the former MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, was forced to resign as Homelessness Minister in August 2025. In a move that drew widespread condemnation, Ms Ali was found to have evicted tenants from her east London property only to re-list it weeks later with a £700-a-month rent hike. The irony of a Homelessness Minister contributing to the housing affordability crisis was described by colleagues as "untenable."
Earlier in the year, Tulip Siddiq resigned from her role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury in January 2025. The Hampstead and Highgate MP faced intense scrutiny over her living arrangements in London properties linked to her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The investigation into financial links and property usage ultimately led to her stepping back from the frontbench.
The party has also been dogged by the legacy of Jas Athwal, the MP for Ilford South. In late 2024, he was exposed as the "slum landlord of the Commons," owning 15 rental properties plagued by black mould and ant infestations. Athwal was forced to apologize after it emerged he had failed to obtain the correct property licenses—under a scheme he had introduced himself as a council leader.
Even Apsana Begum, the MP for Poplar and Limehouse, has a history of housing disputes. While she was acquitted of housing fraud in a heavily publicized court case in 2021, the proceedings highlighted the complex and often contentious relationship between Labour MPs and the housing systems they oversee.
Leadership Ambitions in Tatters?
Ms Rayner’s potential move to Hove is seen as a desperate attempt to keep her leadership hopes alive. Other potential successors to Sir Keir Starmer are also feeling the heat. Health Secretary Wes Streeting held his seat by a razor-thin 528 votes in 2024 and is reportedly nervous about a left-wing challenge. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also saw her majority slashed in Birmingham Ladywood.
While Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham remains a favourite among the membership, he remains outside the Commons. This leaves the door slightly ajar for Rayner—if she can secure a seat.
However, the public mood appears unforgiving. Online reaction to the Hove rumours has been scathing.
"Why would the constituents of Hove want an MP that has no interest in representing them and is only doing so for their own political gain?" one voter commented. Another added: "The real reason she bought an £800k flat in Hove was to boost her property portfolio... she’s not interested in the constituents of any part of the UK, only to line her own pockets."
With the "Labour Landlord" narrative taking hold, Sir Keir Starmer faces a difficult winter trying to convince voters that his party is still on the side of the tenant, rather than the property speculator.
