Could Angela Rayner’s comeback rescue Labour?
Electoral Dysfunction
Sky News
4.4 • 764 Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2026
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Angela Rayner has stepped back in the spotlight this week and straight into controversy.
Her blunt intervention - warning the government is running out of time, criticising its record on “change” and calling parts of Labour’s immigration policy “un-British” - has sparked a big question: is Rayner simply saying what others are thinking, or going too far?
Harriet certainly thinks it’s a bit much. She says Rayner’s approach could be undermining the government at a critical moment just weeks out from the May elections. Beth says Rayner's tax affairs could be sorted sooner than a lot of people thought.
On the elections, Beth has been in Scotland speaking to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Does he still think Starmer should resign?
Plus, what support should the government be offering to help with rising energy costs because of the war in Iran? And can we even afford it as a country?
Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.
And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Sky News, the full story first. |
| 0:10.0 | And it just doesn't help at all to have somebody with her seniority |
| 0:16.5 | criticising the government but not suggesting any way forward. |
| 0:25.0 | His election campaign has to run on the basis of trying to put as much distance between a toxic Kirstama and a toxic government. |
| 0:32.4 | You know, we're not the only people that are talking about how dreadful an election this is going to be. |
| 0:40.7 | Hello and welcome to Electoral Dysfunction with me, Beth Rigby. |
| 0:44.8 | Me Ruth Davidson and me Harriet Harman. |
| 0:47.1 | Well, it feels like spring is finally hit and I say hallelujah to that end of those dark mornings. |
| 0:53.1 | The sun is out. I have lost my sunglasses. I left them |
| 0:56.7 | at the Reform petrol station in Buxton. Very unfortunate. If anyone is listening from |
| 1:02.6 | Buxton, we are trying to get in touch with you to get my sonies back. I will pay for the |
| 1:08.9 | postage. But apart from that slight travesty, I'm very happy that spring is springing. |
| 1:14.5 | But despite this blooming weather, politics is pretty gloomy and fraught still. |
| 1:21.4 | We are now under 50 days out from the May local elections and the elections in Scotland and Wales. And the pressure is |
| 1:31.1 | piling on the Prime Minister from his own party. And I'm thinking this week, Angela Raina |
| 1:37.2 | and Anas Sawa with the double punch. Yeah, it has been pretty punchy this week. But how nice |
| 1:42.5 | is it to have springback? I didn't realise just how miserable I'd been over the winter, but now the crocuses are up, the daffodils are there, I've been to the hairdressers and I've got my highlights put in, which I do every spring, and I've painted my toenails. It is officially springtime ladies. So I didn't know this about Ruth, but she only gets highlights at spring. And I had a brilliant time at the hairdressers this week, because I've got a party this weekend that I'm going to. And I've been going to the same hairdresser for like ever. I phoned up and I said, look, if I come along, as well as doing my hair, can you cut my wig? Because I'm going to a 90s theme party as Andre Agassi |
| 2:18.0 | and I've bought a wig off of Amazon and I look more like, well, I guess more like, oh, who's that way with Farrah Fawcett rather than Andre Agasset when it came through. I need it to be proper mulleted. So God love him. My lovely hairdresser just gave a £5-pound wig a 70 pound haircut and didn't charge before it. |
| 2:34.6 | So God love him. |
| 2:35.5 | Can I have a look at that, please? |
| 2:37.0 | Have you got it? |
| 2:37.6 | Yes. love him. My lovely hairdresser just gave a five-pound wig a 70-pound haircut and didn't charge me for |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sky News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Sky News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.