Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is set to lock horns with Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp at Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions session, filling in for Sir Keir Starmer, who is returning from the G7 summit.
As she steps into the political spotlight, Rayner faces scrutiny on several pressing issues, including the grooming gangs scandal and the persistent surge in housing prices. The session comes ahead of a government announcement expected to push the completion date of the HS2 rail project well beyond 2033.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is preparing to address Parliament with a blunt assessment of the HS2 debacle, laying the blame on years of mismanagement and flawed contracts. She is expected to say she is “drawing a line in the sand” on the high-speed rail project, which has spiraled in cost and complexity since its inception.
“Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management,” Alexander is set to tell MPs. “It’s an appalling mess. But it’s one we will sort out.”
She will also present the outcomes of two internal reviews into the project’s missteps and address mounting allegations of contractor fraud. The original cost projection for HS2 stood at £37.5 billion in 2013, but by June last year, the London-to-Birmingham leg alone had surged to an estimated £66 billion.
Pressure Mounts Over Housing Shortfall
Angela Rayner is also contending with backlash over Labour’s ambitious pledge to construct 1.5 million homes. New projections from real estate agency Savills suggest only 840,000 homes — just over half of the goal — are likely to materialize.
Unfazed by the criticism, Rayner fired back, saying, “Underestimate me at your peril.” She added that she’s faced doubt “all my life” and refuses to back down on the government’s flagship initiative.
She announced the rollout of a state-supported initiative to stimulate housing construction, especially amid rising inflation and borrowing costs that have left developers struggling. The scheme will be powered by a £22 billion government injection through a new National Housing Bank offering low-interest loans to unlock stalled building projects.
Rayner said the initiative would help launch over 500,000 new homes across the UK, with an emphasis on affordable and social housing units.
Meanwhile, as international tensions escalate in the Middle East, Rayner addressed concerns about potential UK involvement in any Israel-Iran conflict. When asked whether the government would allow a free vote in Parliament on the issue, she responded that decisions would be “guided by the safety of British nationals and British interests.”
“The situation in the Middle East is fast-moving and deeply concerning, there is a clear potential for a significant worsening of the situation,” she said. Rayner confirmed that fighter jets had been deployed to the region and urged British nationals to register their presence, noting that “all advice [is] kept under review.”
With both domestic and foreign affairs weighing heavily, Wednesday’s PMQs are expected to be closely watched — not just for answers, but for how Rayner handles the mounting pressure as Labour’s most vocal and visible second-in-command.
