Boris Johnson dragging the Tory Party into the sewer – Angela Rayner.

In a series of tweets, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner hits out at “perverted smears” by Tory MPs published in the Mail on Sunday in an attempt to save Boris Johnson’s skin, as she accuses him of “dragging the Conservative Party into the sewer”.

Unsplash/Lorenzo Spoleti

Angela Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne. Deputy Leader of the Opposition:

“Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day – and I’m no different. This morning’s is the latest dose of gutter journalism courtesy of the Mail on Sunday politics.

“I stand accused of a “ploy” to “distract” the helpless PM – by being a woman, having legs and wearing clothes. I am conspiring to “put him off his stride”. The rest I won’t repeat – but you get the picture.

Mail on Sunday, 24-Apr-2022.

“Boris Johnson’s cheerleaders have resorted to spreading desperate, perverted smears in their doomed attempts to save his skin. They know exactly what they are doing. The lies they are telling.

“The potted biography is given – my comprehensive education, my experience as a care worker, my family, my class, my background. The implication is clear.

“But it is the PM who is dragging the Conservative Party into the sewer – and the anonymous Tory MPs doing his bidding are complicit. He and his cheerleaders clearly have a big problem with women in public life. They should be ashamed of themselves.

“I won’t be letting their vile lies deter me. Their attempts to harass and intimidate me will fail. I’ve been open about how I’ve had to struggle to get where I am today. I’m proud of my background, I’m proud of who I am and where I’m from – but it’s taken time.

“I hope this experience doesn’t put off a single person like me, with a background like mine from aspiring to participate in public life. That would break my heart. 💔 We need more people in politics with backgrounds like mine - and fewer as a hobby to help their mates.

Angela Rayner. | Wikimedia/Rwendland

“Thank you to so many of you for your messages of solidarity and support. For calling this out for what it is. ♥️✊🏻

“You are making a stand in the name of decency - against those who would further coarsen, cheapen and debase our politics to benefit their own interests. We all deserve so much better. 🌈”

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Sources

• Text: This piece was first published in PMP Magazine on 24 April 2022.
• Cover: Flickr/Number 10 - Andrew Parsons. (Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)