Rayner aims to block Sadiq Khan from standing as an MP while he is still mayor. The Deputy Prime Minister's bill would close off the London Mayor's main route back to the heart of the Labour Party.
Angela Rayner has taken steps to stop Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, from returning to Parliament, amid claims she is moving to eliminate her rivals for the leadership of the Labour Party.
Angela Rayner is the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and a senior figure in the Labour Party. She also serves as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The Deputy Prime Minister has introduced a bill that would ban any person from serving simultaneously as Mayor of London and an MP.
This would close off Sir Sadiq's main route back into the heart of the Labour Party and make it much less likely that he will gain a seat in Parliament before the next election.
Ms Rayner's department insisted that the change, which also applies to other city mayors, is intended to get mayors to "focus" on serving their local communities.
Boris Johnson served as both an MP and Mayor of London, using that role as a springboard to pursue his ambitions to lead the Conservative Party. Sir Sadiq's political career has followed a similar path to that of the former prime minister, and there has been speculation that he could follow the same strategy.
But that opportunity will now be closed by the ban on Ms Rayner serving in both roles at the same time, through the Devolution Bill for England. The bill would change parts of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, which established both the London Assembly and the institution of mayor.
The new law will stipulate that "a person is ineligible to be mayor if he is an elected member of any legislature in the United Kingdom."
Sir Sadiq Khan, pictured being applauded by Angela Rayner during the London mayoral election campaign last year, has previously denied he has ambitions to become Labour leader.
A Conservative strategist told The Telegraph newspaper: “Having just finished trying to eliminate Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner is on the move again, trying to hit out at potential leadership rivals.
"She should focus on serving Britain, not on her petty political games within the party. Once again, party comes before country."
Mr Sadiq is currently serving his third term as Mayor of London, which is widely believed to be his last, after being re-elected last May. Before taking up the post in 2016, he was the Labour MP for Tooting, south London, since 2005.
As one of the Labour Party's most prominent figures, he has often been mentioned as a candidate for leadership, although he has denied having such intentions.
Last year he declared that he had "no interest whatsoever in being Labour leader or the next Labour leader" and "no ambition to return to Parliament".
However, at the time he was campaigning for another term as mayor, and it is not uncommon for politicians with leadership ambitions to publicly deny that they have them.
Ms Rayner has recently been accused of using another tactic to weaken Wes Streeting, another potential rival for the party leadership.
In separate legislation, she is reopening an electoral loophole that could help pro-Gaza candidates, such as those from Jeremy Corbyn's new party.
It has announced that it will lift a ban on organizations registering as both a campaign group and a political party.
This could make Mr Streeting particularly vulnerable, given that he won his seat in Parliament by just 500 votes over a pro-Palestinian candidate in the last election.
Ms Rayner has been repeatedly linked to a possible Labour leadership bid, with the speculation fuelled by reports of a leaked tax memo from her that was leaked by The Telegraph.
A spokesperson for her department said:
“There is already a rule in place that mayors who are also police and crime commissioners cannot serve as MPs. These changes will make this rule applicable to all mayors, so that they can focus on a role that is essential to bringing about change.”
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq declined to comment.
The Telegraph
