Angela Rayner said she teads together with Sir Keir Starmer
(Picture: Getty Images)Angela Rayner has defended Labour never having had a woman leader as Britain’s third female Conservative Prime Minister entered Number 10.
Labours deputy leader insisted she steers her party alongside Sir Keir Starmer.
“I lead, believe me,” Ms Rayner told BBC Radio 4.
“Me and Keir lead together so I don’t feel we are inferior in that respect.”
The recent Tory leadership contest was the most diverse in history and winner Liz Truss is expected to appoint women and ethic minority MPs to many of the top jobs in her cabinet - including Therese Coffey, Kemi Badenoch and Kwasi Kwarteng.
Ms Rayner said promoting politicians from different classes and educational backgrounds was just as important as ethnic and gender diversity in politics.
"That is progress,” she said. “I think that's really welcome.
“We do need diversity, both in terms of ethnicity, where people come from and their education in politics."
She added: “If Labour get into power I will be the deputy Prime Minister.
“A girl from a council estate, didn’t have any qualifications at 16, got up there with the big guys and managed to show them that people from my background are intelligent, can push forward, do care about what’s happening in the country and have the solutions for it and I’ll be at the heart of that.”
