By Sheila Mckenzie-
Disciplining the source of “misogynistic” claims about Labour’s deputy leader in a Sunday newspaper article may not be as straightforward as threatened by Boris Johnson, but must be pursued.
After The Mail on Sunday said some unnamed Tory MPs had made the allegation that Ms Rayner tries to distract him in parliament by crossing and uncrossing her legs, there was much uproar about the claim, branded as misogynistic.
The source of the story surely has something against Angela Rayner, the Labour Deputy leader will have some idea who it is likely to be. Somebody she has probably offended not long ago, or someone who takes a disliking to her. An Mp that takes such a story to a national paper is playing school boy games, making Mps look more and more like jokers in parliament.
The anonymous MP told the Uk Publication: ‘She knows she can’t compete with Boris’s Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks.
‘She has admitted as much when enjoying drinks with us on the [Commons] terrace.’
The Mail On Sunday claimed that Ms Rayner likes to distract the PM when he is at the dispatch box by deploying a fully-clothed Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone’s infamous scene in the 1992 film Basic Instinct
It is suggested that Ms Rayner also employs the tactic when sitting next to Sir Keir when he faces Mr Johnson at PMQs. Last night, a spokesman for Ms Rayner described the allegation as ‘categorically untrue’.
Mr Johnson threatened to unleash “the terrors of the earth” on the source behind the comments if they were ever identified.
Prime minister, Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also criticized the comments, with the PM tweeting: “As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue, I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today.”
Sir Keir added: “The sexism and misogyny peddled by the Tories is a disgraceful new low from a party mired in scandal and chaos.”
Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle called the “unsubstantiated claims” in the article “misogynistic and offensive” and has arranged a meeting with the editor of the Mail on Sunday, David Dillon, this Wednesday to discuss the article.
The Mail On Sunday editor is unlikely to reveal his source, but if pressured to confirm the claim from an Mp not to be fictitious(which it surely isn’t), the editor could be forced to reveal his source.
An identified source who claims she has made such admissions when drinking on the terrace would then be forced to attempt to validate his claim with witnesses. What happens then? Even if the claim was true, the consensus is that the Mp in question should be disciplined for the misogynistic claims, which also cheapen the standard of parliamentarians.
Too many scandals have been coming out of parliament, so much that it belittles members of parliament.
What the Mp claims to mean by Ms Rayner has other skills that Johnson lacks is ambiguous, perhaps David Dillon can investigate it further and explain to Lindsay Hoyle.
The claim made by the Mp in the Mail Sunday smacks of bad taste,
Ms Rayner dismissed the story as a “perverted smear” that showed women in politics faced misogyny every day..
Sir Keir added: “The sexism and misogyny peddled by the Tories is a disgraceful new low from a party mired in scandal and chaos.”
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told BBC Breakfast: “This is endemic.” She added that she did not think there was a single female MP or staff member in the House of Commons who did not have their own stories of misogyny or sexism.
And Technology Minister Chris Philp said Tory MPs who hold those views could face “serious consequences” if identified.
Conservative Caroline Nokes said too many female MPs of all parties had been “on the receiving end of vile articles”, while former minister Andrea Leadsom tweeted: “Really sorry Angela. Totally unacceptable comments and reporting.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The sexism and misogyny peddled by the Tories is a disgraceful new low from a party mired in scandal and chaos.”