​Labour’s Angela Rayner performs DJ set at Manchester charity gig

Over the weekend, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner swapped out the podium for a set of decks at a battle of the DJs charity event in Manchester.

The event, set up to raise money for the homeless in Manchester, saw Rayner go up alongside fellow MPs and local mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram in a head-to-head.

Taking place at Manchester’s Depot Mayfield, home of The Warehouse Project, the charity event raised over £20,000 for the scheme A Bed Every Night, which looks to house rough sleepers in the region and provide them with support.

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Rayner took to the decks to perform N-Trance’s ‘Set You Free’ amongst other feel-good tracks, later posting a clip on Instagram captioned: “I just can’t be doing a DJ set without a bit of Oldham’s very own N-Trance!”

The 50-second clip shows Rayner dancing and singing along to the 1995 classic as it pans to a hundreds-strong audience inside the Depot Mayfield warehouse.

Rayner’s appearance at the battle of the DJs gig comes just after Labour’s successful by-election in Chester, where Samantha Dixon gained a 10,974 majority - Labour’s best-ever result in the seat.

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The charity event also pitted two city mayors against each other - Great Manchester’s Andy Burnham and Liverpool’s Steve Rotheram, who went toe-to-toe on the night.

“It was just an epic night, with a really positive vibe,” said Tim Heatley, Chair of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. “We can’t thank everyone enough who gave up their time and showed up to support a really worth cause.”

"Those on the decks were all on top form and it means a lot that so many people continue to get behind of our efforts to support people at risk of homelessness when they need it most,” he added.

“To everyone who turned out, bought a drink, made a donation and danced all night – a massive thank you.”

[Photo: David Woolfall, Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow he on Twitter