Angela Rayner, February 2026 (Alamy) 4 min read2 hr Former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has given her backing to the efforts of a large group of Labour MPs currently lobbying the government against its immigration reforms. Addressing a reception held by Labour soft left group Mainstream on Tuesday evening, Rayner said voters had been given the impression that Labour has “represented the establishment, not working people” and that “at worst, we became it”. “The very survival of the Labour Party is at stake,” she warned a packed pub basement in Westminster. “As a party and movement, we cannot hide. We cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline,” Rayner said. “There is no safe ground for us, and we’re running out of time. The change that people so desperately wanted to see needs to be seen. It needs to be felt.” The influential backbencher, widely seen as a potential successor to Keir Starmer, started her speech by telling the crowd: “I have a lot to say. I’ve …