Late last summer, Angela Rayner – MP for Ashton-under-Lyne and then-Deputy Prime Minister – was hosting a barbecue in her garden. An email invitation shows she wanted to thank her guests, mostly Constituency Labour Party (CLP) members, for their continued campaigning outside of election time. “Bring a bottle of your favourite bevvy and let’s have some fun in the sun!” it read.
One of the attendees was Philip Wilson-Marks, then Vice-Chair of the Ashton-under-Lyne CLP, now of the Green Party. According to Wilson-Marks, it was common for Rayner to host such parties — though never rowdy or overly boozy, attendees often stayed over, and Rayner would cook breakfast in the morning. In this environment, Rayner and party members felt able to relax. The karaoke machine was often wheeled out.
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