Angela Rayner has rejected calls to hand back the roughly £17,000 severance payment she received last year, despite being brought back into Cabinet by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Critics have accused her of hypocrisy given her past attacks on Conservative ministers for accepting payoffs before returning to government roles, making the episode politically awkward as Burnham reshapes his top team.

Rayner received the payout after previously leaving a ministerial post, and her reappointment under Burnham has revived scrutiny of the payment, which she has declined to repay or justify further. The row comes as Burnham's premiership generates wider political discussion, including reports of his strong early personal poll ratings and a Cabinet reshuffle in which at least one senior Labour figure, Al Carns, turned down a ministerial role after being overlooked for the defence brief.