On the campaign trail in Oldham, Angela Rayner greets a resident in Moorside

Rayner going door to door on polling day in Ashton-under-Lyne. She has a swift technique when knocking doors, saying: ‘I’m not getting my hand bitten by a dog today and ending up in A&E.’

Rayner ‘getting out the vote’ in Moorside

‘Who did you vote for?’ Rayner asks. One of the residents says: ‘We’re not saying. Oh, OK we will. We voted for Reform.’

Rayner and her team take a break with cups of tea and a curry

Rayner’s vibrant red suit is every photographer’s dream, contrasting starkly with an overcast sky

After more than a month on the road, Rayner makes her last stop on the battlebus. The vehicle was spotless despite its gruelling schedule

The best seats on the Labour battlebus are through a curtain at the back. Rayner has been holding court with tales of barbecue mishaps, trips to A&E and her infamous cocktail Venom – a potent mix of vodka, Southern Comfort, blue WKD and orange juice. I was heartened to see a box of Yorkshire tea on board. That would have been my chosen tipple

I’m not sure if I’d call this a signature or an autograph but it was definitely a very professional flourish with a felt pen

Paul Travis, Labour’s official photographer, taking a candid portrait of Rayner and a member of her campaign team. Travis says he has worked almost non-stop for six weeks on the election campaign trail, pausing only to get married

Rayner with supporters

It’s always disappointing to miss a lollipop lady shot, so I was relieved when we returned on the same route and I was able to snap this one

Rayner being interviewed by the BBC in the rain about the exit polls from her garden in Ashton-under-Lyne

Angela Rayner joins the candidates at Dukinfield Town Hall for the results of the count.

Angela Rayner seen on TV camera making a speech at Dukinfield Town Hall