As the Labour Party Conference got underway this weekend, a moment from deputy leader Angela Rayner’s Channel 4 interview went viral after she was hilariously interrupted by a phone call from an extremely important person on the other end: her mum.
Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool began on Sunday, 7 October, following a week where headlines were dominated by the Conservatives once again posting up at the Midland Hotel, announcing the scrapping of HS2 to Manchester and Sacha Lord posting huge adverts about Rishi Sunak in the city.
We think it’s safe to say their arrival in 0161 wasn’t met the warmest of welcome with protests just outside, various ministers being grilled for lies and inaccuracies during their respective speeches, as well as reportedly being thrown out of a bar in the Gay Village following an incident with a drag act.
In contrast, this behind-the-scenes moment from Angela Rayner and her mother, Lynn Bowen, has tickled countless people online in what is being described as not only a simply heart-warming and “relatable” moment but also one of the most stereotypically Northern exchanges you could imagine.
Angela Rayner answers a call from her mum mid-interview.
As the Stockport-born MP for Ashton-under-Lyne goes on to explain, her mum never typically chooses to ring her so the 43-year-old’s first thought was that “something must be really up with her”.
Wearing an expression that anyone would recognise if their mum has ever called for a natter at the most inconvenient time possible (that’s just what they do sometimes), the people behind the camera begin to chuckle as her mum still stays on the phone after an obvious hint to end the call from her daughter.
The face she pulls went her mum still doesn’t hang up and just says, “You’re alright, I was just congratulating you, you did well” is absolute gold; that classic mix of exasperation whilst still having to be polite because they literally gave birth to you.
The whole thing only gets funnier when she says that her mum isn’t usually up at this time but is “going to Llandudno today” — again, the kind of throwaway comment that you expect to be thrown into conversation after popping into your nan’s for a brew.
Rayner began caring for her mum and siblings at a young age following bouts of depression. (Credit: ITV News)
While there are some people online suggesting that the clip might be staged in an attempt for some good PR spin, mainly due to the fact she decides to put it on speakerphone, the majority are labelling it a “relatable”, “genuine” “down-to-earth” and “working class” moment.
One person commented, “I think Angela Rayner is awesome. She cares enough about her mother to answer. In the middle of an interview. Because her mum’s important. Love it.”, while another added, “A real person as a politician. Refreshing in the UK but it shouldn’t be”. Several simply said, “Rayner for PM”.
One thing’s for sure, we’ll never get tired of hearing a Manc accent on a politician. Rayner received similar praise for her speech at the Labour conference, which was filled with quips at the Tory party’s expense and focus on restoring fair wages, proper social housing and making misogyny “a hate crime”.
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Danny Jones -
9th October 2023 
