Angela Rayner says she was 'crestfallen' after the Mail on Sunday published sexist claims about her, made by an unnamed Tory MP. The article, which crudely suggested the Labour deputy leader had been trying to distract Boris Johnson by crossing and uncrossing her legs in the House of Commons, has been widely condemned.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly this morning (April 26), the Ashton-under-Lyne MP said she had to prepare her children for the article's publication over the weekend once she knew it was going to be published. She told ITV’s Lorraine: “I’ve been overwhelmed because, when I heard the story was coming out and we rebutted it instantly, and was like ‘This is disgusting, it’s completely untrue. Please don’t run a story like that.’
“I felt really sad … I was trying to prepare my children for seeing things online that they don’t want to see their mum portrayed that way. I felt really down about that, but I was overwhelmed by people’s response because I just thought ‘Is that what people expect and think about what I do?’
