Housing Secretary Angela Rayner delivered a pointed after-dinner speech at the annual Trade Unions Congress dinner, targeting Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and mocking his earlier failed attempt to challenge for leadership of the Labour party.
Rayner's remarks were seen as a retort to Streeting's own jokes made at her expense at a previous event. She reminded attendees that Streeting had previously made light of her and First Secretary of State Louise Haigh, who had resigned from the Cabinet following a fraud conviction related to a missing work phone.
"Last time [Mr Streeting] gave an after-dinner speech he had a few jokes about us both," Rayner stated. "I remember it well. I'd just come back from meeting the pope. I was also introduced to a young ambitious cardinal tipped for the top — or the Vatican's Wes Streeting as they called him. He didn't get the votes either."
Rayner also alluded to Streeting's support for Andy Burnham's leadership bid. "Anyway, Louise and I were delighted Wes joined us back in Cabinet. I think Louise advised the prime minister to make him defence secretary because he's the one Cabinet member we know can't organize a coup," she added, drawing laughter from the union delegates.
She further jested about Streeting's inability to secure the necessary parliamentary support, stating, "He wanted education of course. But unfortunately he can't count to 81."
Streeting, who was present at the event, responded through a spokesperson. "Contrary to the rumours, Wes travelled home safely in a car rather than an ambulance, despite being murdered by Angela Rayner in her speech," the spokesperson told Politico.
Rayner's remarks at the Brighton event were a long-anticipated response to comments made by Streeting at the Spectator magazine's Parliamentarian of the Year awards in December 2024. At that event, Streeting joked that Pat McFadden was the real deputy prime minister, despite the role officially belonging to Rayner at the time. He also made a quip about Haigh's fraud conviction, saying, "I love Louise. And I'm going to call her tomorrow on one of her phones."
Both Rayner and Streeting had been rumored to be considering leadership bids earlier in the year. Streeting eventually withdrew his challenge and endorsed Andy Burnham, while Rayner also backed Burnham after being cleared of deliberate wrongdoing by HMRC in relation to stamp duty payments.