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The Labour leader promised to unite the party, but it seems that factional vendettas have replaced political strategyFor the first time since Labour’s 2019 rout, the government is in serious trouble. After being allowed to get away with their fatal handling of the pandemic, the Tories self-detonated over scandals and broken promises from rail to tax. Enter the Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, with a speech – over which her team toiled for weeks – hammering Boris Johnson over corruption and setting out proposals to combat it. You’d imagine any competent, strategic operation around Keir Starmer would gladly throw its weight behind such an endeavour. But his team had other ideas.By launching a shadow cabinet reshuffle without consulting his deputy, Starmer has ignited a new round of internal conflict. Rayner’s operation is adamant that the deputy leader had no adequate forewarning and was not consulted, despite Starmer’s team briefing to the contrary. There is a consistent pattern when it comes to Rayner’s treatment at the hands of the leadership. They scapegoated her for Labour’s catastrophic defeat in Hartlepool earlier this year, sacking her as party chair; criticised her choice of clothing; repeatedly briefed against her, including when she was on bereavement leave; and only belatedly defended her when she was subjected to death threats. Continue reading...