In January, an unfinished website promoting Angela Rayner as the next Labour Party leader briefly appeared online. Rayner’s team quickly denied any link to the site, dismissing it as a fake created without her permission.

Despite these denials, sources told The Guardian that Rayner has been preparing for a possible leadership bid for several months. Her allies, however, insist she has no plans to challenge Keir Starmer for his job.

The website went live during a period of intense pressure on Starmer’s leadership. Before the page was taken down, it featured content designed to boost Rayner’s profile as a candidate for the top spot.