Angela Rayner says ‘disgusting’ sexist story left her ‘crestfallen’

Angela Rayner said she was "crestfallen" and worried about what her children would think when a newspaper suggested she uses her legs to distract the Prime Minister in the Commons.

An unnamed Tory MP briefed the story that Labour’s deputy leader attempts to put off Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions by crossing and uncrossing her legs in a scene reminiscent of Sharon Stone in the film Basic Instinct.

The claim has been branded "misogynistic" and "sexist" by some Conservative and Labour MPs.

In her first interview since the story broke, Ms Rayner told ITV's Lorraine on Tuesday: "When I heard the story was coming out we rebutted it instantly, and was like 'This is disgusting, it's completely untrue. Please don't run a story like that'.

"I was trying to prepare my children for seeing things online. They don't want to see their mum portrayed that way.

"All I worry about when I'm at the despatch box is doing a good job and being able to do justice to my constituents and the work I'm doing, so I was just really crestfallen that somebody had said that to a paper."

The story in the Mail on Sunday quoted an MP as saying Ms Rayner “knows she can’t compete with Boris’s Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks”.

She said she believed the article was "steeped in classism", insinuating she must be "thick" because she went to a comprehensive school and that she was "promiscuous" because she had a child when she was young.

“There's still so much more for us to do," she added.

“We have got to teach our sons to be respectful of women and we've got to teach our women to be confident about themselves as well."

Ms Rayner also said wore a trouser suit for her TV appearance on Tuesday because she did not want to be "judged for what I wear".

She said: "I wanted to be defiant as well, because I don't think that women should be told how to dress - but I didn't want to distract from the fact that, actually, it's not about my legs.

"I didn't want people at home thinking 'Let's have a look to see what her legs are like and how short her skirt is or not'.

"Because I feel like I'm being judged for what I wear, rather than what I'm saying."

Earlier Armed forces minister James Heappey slammed the "idiot" MP who briefed the story.

"The whole thing is ridiculous and offensive," he told the BBC.

"I'm sorry to Ange. I'm sorry to our female colleagues. I hope that whoever this idiot of an MP is that gave this quote reflects.

"They don't speak for me, they don't speak for the Conservative Party and frankly they don't speak for anyone in Parliament."

Ministers and Conservative whips have said that if the MP is found they will face discipline.

Commons leader Sir Lindsay Hoyle announced on Monday the Mail on Sunday editor who signed off the story for publication would be hauled into Parliament to explain the decision.