Taken in August last year whilst in Brighton, the photo shows Ms Rayner in what appears to be a kayak while puffing on a vape – which has been turned into memes.
She addressed the light-hearted content during an interview with ITV News, describing some of the memes as “quite funny”.
Ms Rayner last year resigned as deputy Prime Minister following a row over underpaid stamp duty.
File photograph of former deputy leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Ms Rayner has now been cleared of tax avoidance and will not face penalty.
The senior Labour politician announced on Thursday she had been exonerated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) following an investigation into her underpayment of stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in Hove, which she bought in May 2025.
Now she has been cleared, she could return to frontline politics as Wes Streeting prepares to launch a leadership challenge for the Labour Party.
In an interview with ITV from May 14, Rayner addressed the viral image of her vaping near Brighton Beach in August 2025 on an inflatable canoe.
Rayner said: “I have been known to vape.
“I was on a beach with my boys, my boy had just passed his GCSE results, and he wanted to take me out on the boat.
“It’s not the most flattering picture of me, but I was just having fun with my kids so I don’t get glammed up.
“I’m out, I’m having fun, and I’m trying to enjoy the time with the family.”
In an interview with Sky News from September 2023, Rayner revealed her children nicknamed her as the ‘vape dragon’ due to her vaping habit.
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