Angela Rayner is back - and she's plotting the coldest revenge imaginable on Keir Starmer

Well, what did you expect? Did anybody really think "Red Ange" would go quietly? I certainly didn't. Within hours of her stepping down in disgrace over her £40,000 stamp duty dodge, I warned: Angela Rayner won't be gone for long - and she'll be back with a vengeance. Although even I didn't expect it to happen this fast.

British politics has a long tradition of scandal-soaked figures crawling back. Peter Mandelson managed it twice, although his luck now seems to have run out.

For Rayner, a return isn't just possible, it's inevitable. And she won't settle for a junior role either.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, they say, and Rayner is sharpening the knives. She's plotting to bring the PM down.

Rayner has found herself the perfect ally. The self-styled Queen of the North is teaming up with the self-styled King of the North, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

Their aim is clear: to rule the UK together. And given the crumbling nature of Starmer's regime, they've got a fair shot.

Burnham is plotting his own leadership bid and needs friends in Westminster. Rayner, still an MP, is the perfect match.

The pair have been in talks, MPs told The Daily Telegraph. Some even think they could run together on a leadership ticket, provided Burnham can scramble back into Parliament via a safe Labour seat.

One MP said the duo are "capable of speaking to voters in the north" in a way Starmer never can.

They'll see themselves as the dream team: two professional northerners for the price of one. A double stamp of authenticity for Labour.

For Rayner, the revenge element makes it even sweeter. She blames Starmer for her downfall, though he had little choice once her tax scandal hit the headlines. Throwing in her lot with Burnham would be ultimate payback.

It makes sense for Burnham too. He's more popular than Starmer in the polls but stuck on the sidelines in Manchester.

He needs Westminster allies, and Rayner brings credibility with MPs plus a grassroots northern base. They're useful to each other, and they know it.

For now, neither can move openly. Burnham isn't in Parliament, while Rayner has to keep a low profile.

That hasn't stopped them plotting. Their weapon of choise is Lucy Powell, Manchester Central MP and Burnham ally, who's running to replace Rayner as deputy leader in what's turning into a Labour Party civil war.

Burnham said it would be "great" to have another northern voice at the top. Well he would. He's from the north too, in the unlikely event that you didn't know.

Blocking Starmer loyalist Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, would suit him fine. It would suit Rayner too.

A row over a dodged stamp duty bill was never going to keep her down for long. She's working class, and will be forgiven.

The Queen of the North has found her King. Now they're out to knock Starmer off his throne. The PM is hopeless, but as I've warned before, what's waiting in the wings could be even worse.