The newly elected UK parliament includes 264 women. This figure surpasses the threshold of 40% for the first time – and is a big jump from the previous record of 34.2% in 2019. And women are not just on the backbenches, a number also hold senior frontbench roles, including Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister.
Angela Rayner was officially named Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on June 12. Away from the Oxbridge elites that have been known to comprise the British Parliament traditionally, Rayner has made her way to becoming perhaps the biggest asset of the Labour Party by simply, being one of the common people.
Well on her way to becoming one of the most powerful women in Britain, Rayner is largely known and has been widely criticized by the media, for her outspoken disposition and frankness about the issues of the people. However, these qualities are among the many things that are believed to have led to her success in the political arena. These, in addition to her ability to speak for and connect to working-class voters, have had the opposition parties seemingly afraid for their chances.
Her Background
44-year-old Rayner's concern and association with the plight of the people arise from the challenges she faced during her upbringing. She was born and brought up on a council estate in Stockport, near Manchester. She took care of her mother from a very young age, who was diagnosed with bipolar depression, whilst dealing with the hardships that came with having an absent father.
At only 16 years old, Angela had to leave her state-run school in Stockport when she found out that she was pregnant with her first child. At the time, she had no qualifications and was living in a socially deprived locale in Northwest England.
However, she was later able to attend part-time college and became proficient in British sign language in addition to doing a vocational course in social care.
She formally entered politics in 2015 through trade union movements, quickly rising through the ranks of the union, before being elected in her constituency as part of the Labour Party. She was the first woman Member of Parliament to be elected in the 180-year history of her constituency, Ashton-under-Lyne. She was re-elected to the same constituency in the 2024 General Elections as well.
Rayner was appointed as the party's deputy leader in 2020 and became deputy prime minister in 2024. In her statement, she has vowed to build 1.5 million homes in five years.
''I want to build the next wave of social and council houses, nice ones, green ones, ones you want to live in,'' she said.
She currently has three sons and became a grandmother in 2017. Her husband, Mark Rayner, and she have been separated since 2020.
Controversies
Rayner's political career has not been without controversy. In a 2022 example, a Conservative MP allegedly told a popular newspaper that Rayner was trying to distract Boris Johnson intentionally while he was giving a speech by continuously crossing and uncrossing her legs, comparing her to a femme fatale character in the film 'Basic Instinct.'
She told Sky News that she found the article ''disgusting'' and that the piece wasn't only about her as a woman, it was also ''steeped in classism and about where I come from, where I grew up.''
The Tories' more recent attempts to tie her to a property scandal failed when police and tax officials cleared her of any wrongdoing.
The new Deputy PM is recognized by her bright red hair and fringe, as well as her strong northern accent. Though she has been policed for her accent and not using the correct English grammar, she has always been proud of it.
In a post on X, she wrote, ''I speak like people do where I grew up. I want people from backgrounds like mine who've been told to 'know your place' to know that public life is their place too.''
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