Angela Rayner has raked in another £95,000 in speaking fees and donations, according to her official register of interests.
In the latest update to MPs’ financial declarations, the former deputy prime minister was shown to have earned £20,000 for a recent speech.
She was paid the sum by Coex Partners, a City of London financial services firm, for a three-hour speaking engagement.
Ms Rayner also registered another £50,000 donation from Refrigeration House Limited towards her office staffing costs.
It means the Ashton-under-Lyne MP has now received a total of £150,000 from the Oldham-based fridge company in three separate donations since December last year.
Paul Jordon, who runs the firm, has previously praised Ms Rayner’s ‘real world experience’, saying: ‘We need more people in politics with her background.’
In the latest update, Ms Rayner also declared a £25,000 donation towards her staffing costs from an individual donor called Ashley Mitchell.
Since leaving Government in September last year, Ms Rayner has earned a total of £49,000 from speaking engagements, while handing another £10,000 fee to charity.
Should politicians be allowed to earn large sums from speeches and donations while in office?
Angela Rayner has raked in another £95,000 in speaking fees and donations, according to her official register of interests
It has fuelled speculation Ms Rayner is building a war chest ahead of a potential leadership bid, should Keir Starmer be forced out of Downing Street by unhappy Labour MPs
It has fuelled speculation she is building a war chest ahead of a potential leadership bid, should Keir Starmer be forced out of Downing Street by unhappy Labour MPs.
Ms Rayner is also awaiting the findings of a HMRC review into her failure to pay the correct stamp duty on the purchase of a flat – a row which led to her resignation.
She is said to owe £40,000 in extra stamp duty, but could also face an additional penalty.
But allies of Ms Rayner rejected the suggestion she is putting together a possible leadership campaign fund and said it was not at all unusual for high-profile MPs to raise money for their office and staffing costs.
Ms Rayner signed up with speaking agencies after quitting as deputy PM and housing secretary, despite her having previously criticised politicians’ outside earnings.
She posted on social media in May 2023: ‘Being an MP isn’t a second job. It is the job.’
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed Ms Rayner was ‘on manoeuvres’ as Sir Keir continues to reel from the Peter Mandelson scandal and dire poll ratings.
Sir Keir has previously praised Ms Rayner as ‘hugely talented’ and said he would welcome her back to his Cabinet, despite her embarrassing tax row.
Claims have been circling in Westminster that the PM has offered Ms Rayner a comeback as soon as next week.
It would be part of a survival strategy by Sir Keir as he looks down the barrel of apocalyptic local election results on 7 May, which are expected to plunge the PM into fresh turmoil.
‘This Government is like a bad episode of Game Of Thrones,’ Mrs Badenoch jibed.
In a reference to Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s moniker, the Tory leader added: ‘His own people have turned against him and all the while, the Prime Minister is holed up in his castle, wetting himself about a visit from the King in the North.’
Asked about the prospect of Ms Rayner’s return to Cabinet, Sir Keir’s political spokesman told reporters after the House of Commons exchanges: ‘I don’t comment on reshuffle speculation.
‘But you’ve got what the PM said before, that she’s hugely talented and he was really sad that he lost her.’
