Angela Rayner has defended Sir Keir Starmer as “doing the job for Britain” as he approaches his first year in office.
The Deputy Prime Minister said “there’s been a lot going on” in the 12 months since Sir Keir entered Downing Street, and indicated that she is not interested in the job running the country.
Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine programme on Wednesday, Ms Rayner was asked whether the Prime Minister is tired, and responded: “Even before I was in politics, I said that have you ever seen a prime minister after a year or two in government?
“And people always say to me, do you want to be Prime Minister? Not a chance. It’ll age me by 10 years within six months.”
She added: “It is a very challenging job, and there’s been, to be fair for Keir Starmer, there’s been a lot going on.
“He’s been all around the world trying to repair the relationships in Europe. We’ve got the trade deals that the previous government wasn’t able to do, tackling the things like the tariffs that the President in the US wanted to put onto the UK, which would have damaged our economy again.
“There’s a lot going on, and the Prime Minister’s been […] here, there and everywhere, doing the job for Britain.”
Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice has referred to Sir Keir’s first year in office as “the worst start for any newly elected prime minister”.
He told Times Radio that the Prime Minister was “never especially popular” and that “the public still don’t know what he stands for.”
Asked if she would be interested in being prime minister at some point, Ms Rayner told the ITV programme: “No”.
She said that she is “passionate” about issues including workers’ rights and council housing.
“I’m very interested in delivering for the people of this country, because … to be elected as an MP from my background was incredible,” she said.
“Having that opportunity to serve my community that have raised me, looked after me, given me opportunities, and I don’t forget that. And to be Deputy Prime Minister of this country … it’s got to count for something.”
