Who could replace Angela Rayner as deputy PM after she quits?

Angela Rayner leaves behind two of the top jobs at Westminster after quitting as deputy prime minister in the row over stamp duty tax.  

She held the post and another as housing secretary before resigning today amid mounting pressure over her property wrangles.  

The Ashton-under-Lyme MP’s departure has prompted Sir Keir Starmer to carry out a reshuffle, according to the BBC.

The runners and riders who may be in his sights include the following, with Wes Streeting currently the hot favourite. So, let’s take a look who could be stepping up to replace Rayner.

Wes Streeting 4/1

The health secretary is the favourite to become the new deputy prime minister after tackling huge challenges in the NHS.

The MP for Ilford North has also attracted headlines by setting out plans to ban high-caffeine energy drink sales to under-16s. 

He paid tribute to Rayner’s service today, saying she was a ‘trailblazer for working class kids from backgrounds like ours.’

Mr Streeting tops a list of possible replacements in the shortlist drawn up by betting service OddsChecker.

Yvette Cooper 9/2

The Home Secretary has recently been grappling with the issue of people-smuggling gangs and small boat crossings.

Despite her already sizeable brief, the MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley has emerged as a favourite. 

John Healey 7/1  

The Secretary of State for Defence could cap a busy week which has included a trip to Kyiv by taking on the vacated role.

But his move would cause upheaval at a vital time for the British military.

The MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough told a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ that the UK is reviewing readiness levels of UK Armed Forces and accelerating funding to be ready for any deployment to Ukraine. 

Lisa Nandy 15/2

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has been championing sport and youth services among young people.

The deputy PM job would give her a prime chance to put her book, ‘All In: How We Build a Country That Works’, into practice.  

She is the most popular MP in the list, ranking at 11 in YouGov’s table of the most liked Labour politicians.

Pat McFadden 10/1

Pat McFadden holds the posts of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.

The MP for Wolverhampton South East’s odds were cut from 12/1 shortly after the announcement was made. 

Who could be the new housing secretary?

Names which have been thrown into the mix to become housing secretary include Rayner’s deputy in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Matthew Pennycook, technology secretary Peter Kyle and Douglas Alexander, who has minister of state posts at the Department for Business and Trade and Cabinet Office.

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