ByPaul Seddon
Political reporter
Angela Rayner has defended her determination to intermission plans to redraw section assembly boundaries, saying she wanted to guarantee they would past ineligible challenge.
The section authorities caput besides told the BBC she wanted to beryllium "clear-eyed" astir what the planned shake-up successful 16 areas of England was apt to achieve.
It comes aft earlier this week she abandoned proposals successful 4 different areas, successful the look of ineligible threats from Reform and Conservative-led authorities.
The astonishment announcement connected Monday has thrown the reorganisation plans into doubt, and drawn disapproval from section leaders preparing for the changes.
Councils successful affected areas person been drafting up proposals and consulting with residents since the reorganisation was announced successful precocious 2024, successful a process that is already thought to person outgo millions of pounds.
Speaking to the BBC's Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast, Rayner conceded the determination to property intermission had been "difficult" and she understood section authorities had enactment a "lot of clip and effort" into their plans.
But she added she wanted to person "all the information" astir the proposals earlier going up with them, aft her reappointment to her furniture relation nether Andy Burnham, 10 months aft her resignation past year.
"I got the ineligible proposal and I hadn't had the clip to reappraisal and to spell done each of that, and tribunal cases were looming," she told the podcast.
"If I'm making a determination that is highly apt to beryllium successful ineligible challenge, I privation to marque definite I've dotted my i's and crossed my t's," she added.
Rayner besides said she wanted was "really clear-eyed connected wherever we were going" with the plans, aft Burnham had asked her to look again astatine the blueprints, which were announced by her predecessor Steve Reed.
In her announcement connected Monday, Rayner said she was withdrawing plans to reorganise councils successful Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Those proposals, announced successful March, were already taxable to ineligible challenges from Reform-led councils successful Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, and the Conservative-led medication successful Hampshire, which were lodged implicit the summer.
She besides said she wanted to reappraisal plans for 16 different areas, including 14 announced by Reed days earlier Burnham replaced Sir Keir Starmer arsenic premier curate and reappointed her to her aged role.
Some councils affected by those plans, including Kent and Leicestershire, had threatened akin bids to situation the lawfulness of the decision-making process.
The authorities has argued that the plans, which volition abolish remaining two-tier areas successful England wherever region and territory councils stock work for services, would marque section authorities much effectual and outgo efficient.
However, critics said the plans would not prevention money, portion diverting resources from front-line services and leaving councils much distant from their communities.
Others person besides complained that the reorganisation could stymie oregon hold parallel efforts to merge councils into determination authorities led by mayors, which Burnham has cited arsenic a cardinal portion of his economical plans.
Elsewhere successful her interview, Rayner said Labour nether Sir Keir should person been quicker to recognise a Palestinian state, having promised to bash truthful arsenic a "contribution to a renewed bid process" astatine the past election.
Starmer took the move successful September past year, having spent overmuch of the anterior twelvemonth resisting unit to bash truthful from Labour MPs.
"It's ever been Labour argumentation to recognise a Palestinian state, and it felt similar we got determination excessively late. It was thing that should person been truly clear," she said.
She besides denied that UK sanctions against Israeli settlements successful the occupied West Bank, announced connected Tuesday, had been made to assistance Labour up of the forthcoming by-election successful Holborn and St Pancras successful cardinal London.
Settlements are amerciable nether planetary law, and determination has been a emergence successful unit towards Palestinians successful the West Bank by settlers successful caller months.
Pointing to the information that Western allies had besides announced sanctions, she said: "The French and the Canadians are not going to beryllium similar 'oh well, we'll conscionable awesome thing to assistance you with a section by-election successful London'".
Reflecting connected her instrumentality to government, she said a "big difference" betwixt Burnham and his predecessor successful Downing Street was his inclination to archer "the communicative of wherefore we're doing something" successful government.
She said some men shared "passion and the commitment" to present for Labour successful office, but added: "Andy is astir apt much similar me, successful presumption of [he] wears his bosom connected his sleeve".
The interrogation with Angela Rayner volition beryllium broadcast connected BBC2 astatine 12:30 BST connected Friday 11 September, and 17:30 BST connected Saturday 12 September.
English (US)·