What Angela Rayner got for her £5,780 makeover

One of the many great shifts in British politics over the past few years has been the introduction of the “glow up”, undergone by the Labour party and many of its most senior politicians. From Sir Keir Starmer to Rachel Reeves, then and now comparisons reveal a sleeker, more polished look engineered, presumably, to ready them for the world stage and send a visual message to voters that their policies are as slick as their wardrobes.

Another senior Labour figure whose style has transformed is Angela Rayner. Her evolution is all the more intriguing because she’s clearly always had a vibrant sense of what she loves, who she is and how she wants to portray that through her clothes. Indeed, a little over three years ago on The Telegraph’s fashion desk, we were reporting on Rayner’s penchant for flower-adorned and leopard-printed brothel creepers – footwear choices which made Theresa May’s much-discussed jewelled kitten heels look entirely unremarkable by comparison.

But by stealth, Rayner has replaced many of these “quirky” elements of her wardrobe with a selection of elegant, professional new pieces which she perhaps feels are more reflective of her new role as Deputy Prime Minister.

And we’ve now learnt that this is not an endeavour she’s funded alone. It was recently revealed that on June 15 this year, shortly before the general election, Rayner received £3,550 from Labour donor Lord Alli in the form of “work clothes for use while undertaking my duties”, according to her parliamentary register of interests. In the same month she was given £2,230 of clothes by British fashion brand, Me+Em. That’s a £5,780 boost to her look just as Labour came into power for the first time in 14 years.

In the months since the election victory, Rayner has mixed a number of new additions to her wardrobe with staples which she’s owned for some time – blazers, midi dresses and trousers suits in muted or neutral shades which pass muster whether she’s at the dispatch box or visiting a hospital. Unsurprisingly, Me+Em has been at the forefront of her makeover, with at least six identifiable new items added to her repertoire with a combined value of £2,115.

Me+Em jumpsuit, £395

These include a red jumpsuit worn for a day campaigning in Scotland (the same day that the Me+Em donation is stated to have been received by Rayner), a £550 spearmint trouser suit to walk into 10 Downing Street the day after the election, a £325 orange gathered-waist dress for the first cabinet meeting of the Government, a £550 water lily-print dress seen on a visit to Rotherham in August and a £295 tweed cropped jacket seen at the Local Government Association conference in October – incidentally, this is the same Me+Em cropped jacket which Lady Starmer wore to a the ballot count in her husband’s constituency in the early hours of July 5, his first appearance as the UK’s new Prime Minister.

Me+Em suit, £550

Me+Em dress, £325

Me + Em cropped jacket, £295

“​​For its fans, Me+Em is fashion magic, a source of superpowers that no other brand makes quite so accessible,” wrote The Telegraph’s head of fashion, Lisa Armstrong, in an interview with Me+Em’s founder, Clare Hornby. Hornby told her how her phone “kept flashing with messages from my men friends texting to say how good they thought Victoria looked” after the Prime Minister’s wife wore a series of Me+Em outfits after the election.

Rayner has also debuted a handful of identifiable pieces from other labels, including a £195 puff-sleeved white Ted Baker dress which she wore for a meeting of metro mayors at Downing Street on July 9 and again on September 21 at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. The style is the same as a bright red dress from the label which she was seen wearing during the election campaign. Rayner has also added a coral trouser suit to her wardrobe, which appears to be from Hugo Boss, as seen at a reception of September 16. The jacket is believed to have cost £429.

All of these items come with a hint of the zing which Rayner has always displayed, but are tailored, grown-up and will work hard for her as she undertakes her new government role – as every busy person in a high-profile job knows, it’s essential to have an armoury of key pieces which form effortless outfits which make you feel good time and time again. After all, as she told Vogue last year, her life travelling up and down the country meant she was in “a constant battle to get clean clothes”, her excuse for ironing during her interview when she spoke to the magazine.

They will also build on the image tweaking Rayner has slowly undertaken since long before the election. Earlier this year she removed her old hair extensions in favour of a blunt and glossy new haircut, though still in her signature Titian red. When she posed for British Vogue in November 2023, she wore a £1,995 Emilia Wickstead coat which, at the time, aides insisted had only been borrowed for the shoot as is standard magazine practice.

However, she clearly loved the oversized chartreuse design and has been pictured wearing it several times since, including at Sadiq Khan’s London Mayoral campaign launch in April. Rayner is evidently gaining an appreciation for designer clothes, which she’s sharing with her loved-ones – it’s been reported that she bought a made-to-measure suit for her boyfriend, Sam Tarry, from tailors Redwood & Feller, where prices are thought to begin at around £3,000 for such commissions.

Sometimes, though, sophisticated practicality can come at the expense of pep and personality. As Armstrong wrote earlier this year, “Angela Rayner is a fascinating style watch” because she’s “determined not to compromise her love of punchy colours, ‘loud’ patterns and pencil skirts in the House of Commons, or be cowed by what she sees as snobbery on the opposite benches”.

Although she chose not to wear some of her more flamboyant favourites during the campaign, recent looks have suggested that she might be easing back into some outfits which reflect her naturally bold style instincts. She’s been photographed a handful of times in the last few weeks wearing pink “cyber punk” loafers by Manchester-based label Koi. Ahead of last week’s Budget, she even added a jovial pair of flamingo-print socks to her ensemble – a motif which also adorns her London flat.

These are signs that amidst Rayner’s newly elevated Deputy PM’s wardrobe, she’s keen to retain hints of her “real” style self – something which no amount of money will ever be able to buy.