The head of a labor-affiliated union called Angela Rayner In place of Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister has warned his party that Nigel Farage’s reform risks leading to a heavy election defeat in the UK.
Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), told the Guardian she wanted the former deputy prime minister to take over after the Gorton and Denton by-elections this month.
Eslamdoust was the first union leader to publicly call on Rayner to sack Starmer, who stepped up pressure on the prime minister at the end of his toughest week in office.
She said: “I think it’s time labor The party has a woman leader. The Tories have three female prime ministers and four leaders and we have none.
“I think Angela Rayner is a credible person. I think some female MPs are making a lot of noise about wanting a female deputy there, but if they’re serious about it, they should put their money where their mouth is and support Angela Rayner.”
She believes Labor is likely to lose the Gorton and Denton by-elections later this month and will have to step down as Prime Minister as a result.
“It’s not as simple as a bogus appointment,” she pointed out Appointment of Peter Mandelson As US ambassador last year. “It was a series of poor political judgments.
“We are in a period of economic and geopolitical instability, with a prime minister who has used cumulatively poor political judgement, so trust in him is completely gone.”
A spokeswoman for Rayner said: “There is no competition and there is no vacancy. Angela has made it clear that Labor needs to come together, avoid distractions and work as a team to deliver for the people.”
The prime minister has sought to restore unity in his party after a week of rifts He lost his chief of staff, His communications director And Denied By the Labor Leader in Scotland.
Starmer was able to secure cabinet support on Monday afternoon after Anas Sarwar, who is seeking to become Scottish first minister in May’s election, said he had no confidence in the prime minister.
Officials in Downing Street feared Sarwar’s comments could spark a widespread coup attempt, but were relieved that every key Labor figure in Westminster – including Raynor – announced their support for the prime minister.
However, many in the party still believe Starmer will face a leadership challenge before long, either after a by-election or local elections in May.
Many of Wes Streeting’s allies said earlier this week that they expected the health secretary to challenge the prime minister after the local elections, if not before. Streeting denied he intended to do this.
Rayner, meanwhile, put further pressure on the Stormer on Thursday to cut back on the hospitality industry. “Customers are not what they used to be because business rates are punishingly high, energy bills are rising and costs and VAT bite in your supply chains,” she said at an event in Liverpool. “We need to recognize that hospitality and nightlife need wider support – not handouts.”
Eslamdoust originally called for Starmer to step down on Monday, becoming one of two Labour-affiliated general secretaries to publicly advocate for a change in leadership, along with Steve Wright, the head of the Fire Brigades Union.
There are 11 unions affiliated to the party as a whole, of which the TSSA is one of the smallest, having donated around £30,000 to the party last year.
Eslamdoust, who once advised former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, said he wanted Raynor to move the party to the left, including stronger protections for workers’ rights and nationalizations in the rail, water and energy industries.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Kair Stormer is one of only four Labor leaders to win a general election. He has a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change and he will do just that.”
Eslamdoust’s support for Rayner is likely to lead to a battle between her and Streeting for more union support.
Rayner won the support of many union leaders with her employment rights agenda, She also angered Uniteone of the largest unions in the country with her opposition to the Birmingham bin strikes.
