Angela Rayner was dealt a humiliating blow as GB News discussed whether her controversies had caused “reputational damage” so severe that she may not be an integral part of Andy Burnham‘s future Government. The former deputy prime minister was forced to step down from her role in September 2025 after it was found that she’d breached the ministerial code for failing to seek expert tax advice when purchasing an £800,000 flat in Hove, resulting in an underpayment of £40,000 in stamp duty. As Rayner was also the housing minister, she issued her formal resignation speech at the House of Commons in October 2025.

With Burnham becoming the front-runner to replace Keir Starmer, GB News’s Alex Armstrong listed his likely Cabinet to include Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, Lisa Nandy and Shabana Mahmood. The presenter highlighted: “Off the list is Angela Rayner, the architect behind Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda.” Turning to his guests, Alex pointed out, “Everyone else seems to have quite a strong position; she’s coming from a position of weakness; she didn’t have to barter with him.” To which, guest Paul Cox questioned: “Where does she fit in it?”

The comedian turned political commentator continued: “I think her reputation has not been destroyed, but has certainly taken one hell of a kicking.”

As Alex chimed: “Well, you can’t put her back in housing, can you?” Paul added: “No, you can’t. She’s probably not going to want to be Chancellor, but you’re never going to put her as Chancellor.

The presenter interjected: “She can’t be Home Secretary,” as Paul delivered a brutal verdict and claimed: “I don’t think there is a place for her,” before turning his aim at the Secretary of Energy Security and blasting: “I would immediately get rid of Ed Miliband.”

Rayner has backed Burnham’s “vision” for devolution and said the next prime minister must go further in giving power to communities during her first major speech since Starmer’s resignation.

The former minister argued that “too many decisions affecting the many are made by too few”, accusing “Whitehall empires” of “hoarding their own power”.

Rayner also talked up her own credentials in spearheading the Devolution Act, which passed in April and transfers powers away from central Government in Westminster to local authorities, regions, and communities across England.

“There was institutional resistance to fiscal devolution throughout my time in office. But we have shown it can be overcome”, she said.

“The Devolution Act gives all mayors London-style planning powers, a new framework that can be expanded and built upon… The act is the beginning, not the end, of breaking away from the command and control culture of Whitehall that has held us back for too long.

She added: “The devolution revolution has hit the ground running. But it will only reach its full potential if central government changes too, with No 10 driving it as a core mission, and local government supported as the foundation on which devolution is built.

“This needs a much deeper cultural change across Whitehall, and the scale of that challenge can’t be underestimated.”