"Welcome to the weird world UK politics 2025. The TV presenter Jeremy Kyle announces to a huge crowd of Nigel Farage supporters at Reform UK's party conference that David Lammy is the new number two in government and they boo, panto-style. And there's a YouTube video of the (now former) deputy prime minister dancing in a tracksuit and chunky gold chain waving wads of cash that's been watched more than 1.5m times."
"In the end, Rayner's decision to go was clear cut. The official report into her behaviour said she'd tried to do the right thing, but not tried hard enough. So the rules had been broken. Her camp reckoned she had no option. No 10 agreed. There is frustration that the manner of her exit from government gave her critics what they wanted. But she knew she had no choice, and was devastated by her own mistake."
"It's acutely and specifically painful for Labour because Rayner had personally styled herself as something of a sleaze-buster. It was she who often led the charge against the succession of Conservatives who got into trouble over their own complicated financial arrangements, hurling accusations of arrogance and greed on a fairly regular basis. She was the shoutier end of Starmer's so called "Mr Rules" approach,"
UK politics entered a chaotic phase with staged stunts, viral videos, and political embarrassment. A parody video existed alongside misleading viral clips, and intended government messaging weeks were derailed. The housing secretary left government after an official report found rules had been broken and that efforts to comply were insufficient. Her resignation prompted a significant reshuffle of the leadership team. The departure was particularly damaging because she had positioned herself as an anti-sleaze campaigner who frequently accused opponents of arrogance and greed. The episode exposed tensions around the party's ethical stance and the costs of personal mistakes.
Read at www.bbc.com
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