Angela Rayner's leadership hopes must be getting serious - she's on the wagon!

By JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 22:49, 6 April 2026 | Updated: 22:49, 6 April 2026 Angela Rayner has gone on the wagon in a bid to boost her credentials to replace Keir Starmer. The party–loving former deputy prime minister has revelled in her hard drinking image for years, the Mail can reveal. But friends say she has cut down her drinking dramatically since the start of the year, with some suggesting she has quit altogether. One senior Labour figure who attended a recent event with her said she was adopting a more sober image as she tries to generate support for a potential leadership bid, which could come as soon as next month. 'I offered to get her a drink, but she said she wasn't drinking any more,' the source said. 'I was gobsmacked – if you know Angie, then you know that's big. 'Some people have been asking whether she really wants the top job and all the scrutiny that comes with it – and it's true she was very bruised by everything surrounding the resignation last year. 'But the fact she is cleaning up her act suggests to me she is deadly serious about going for it.' Ms Rayner's office declined to comment. But in the past she has been known at Westminster for her love of a party – and has even boasted of her drinking prowess. Friends say Ms Rayner has cut down her drinking dramatically since the start of the year, with some suggesting she has quit altogether. In a 2023 appearance at the Edinburgh fringe, she regaled the audience with tales of how her signature party cocktail Venom – made from a bottle of vodka, a bottle of Southern Comfort, ten bottles of Blue WKD and a litre of pure orange juice – had left one local councillor 'curled up in the dog's bed with the dog'. After being pictured at an all–night rave in Ibiza, she said she was proud of her vodka–fuelled dancing sessions. But it has also occasionally got her into trouble. Last year she admitted she had been left 'mortified' after pouring herself a glass of whisky in Sir Keir's Downing Street flat only to discover it was a bottle the Prime Minister had been given by a dead friend which he had wanted to keep as a memento. In 2021, fellow Labour MP Emily Thornberry suggested Ms Rayner may have been drinking when she launched into a late night rant against 'Tory scum' for which she later apologised. Last summer she was pictured on Hove beach clutching a huge glass of rose after buying an £800,000 flat in the seaside town, which triggered her downfall from the Cabinet. Allies acknowledge it would be almost impossible for Ms Rayner to mount a leadership challenge until she has settled her affairs with the taxman The former deputy prime minister was forced to resign last September after failing to pay £40,000 in stamp duty on the luxury apartment in Hove, which is 260 miles from her Ashton–under–Lyne constituency. Labour MPs say she is 'on manoeuvres' to launch a potential leadership challenge if Labour suffer a wipeout in next month's local elections. In a speech last month, she warned that Labour is 'running out of time' to show it can deliver on its manifesto promise of change. She urged ministers to adopt 'bolder' solutions – code for more Left–wing policies. And she urged the government to ditch plans to force recent migrants to wait longer before being entitled to benefits, branding the idea 'un–British'. But allies acknowledge it would be almost impossible for her to mount a leadership challenge until she has settled her affairs with the taxman. In a speech last month, Ms Rayner warned that Labour is 'running out of time' to show it can deliver on its manifesto promise of change She is said to be frustrated by the length of time an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs into the stamp duty episode is taking, but has pledged to co–operate fully and pay any fine that is levied. The PM's independent ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus found she had broken the ministerial code by failing to take expert tax advice at the outset, despite being advised to do so. Ms Rayner said at the time that she took 'full responsibility for this error', adding: 'It was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.' Yesterday, it was suggested her tax bill could grow as she may owe for the legal advice she received after Labour paid for a KC to investigate the matter. The Times spoke to three tax experts who suggested the advice could be seen as a 'benefit in kind' and so the former union shop steward would owe 40 per cent of the cost. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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