Boris Johnson's fury over 'Basic Instinct' attack on Angela Rayner

April 25, 2022

Boris Johnson vows to unleash ‘the terrors of the earth’ on Tory who launched ‘Basic Instinct’ attack on Labour’s Angela Rayner, saying claims she put him off at PMQs are ‘the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe’

Tory MP said Ms Rayner put Johnson off at PMQs by uncrossing her legs
Likened it to a notorious scene in 1992 film Basic Instinct starring Sharon Stone
PM said: ‘I thought it was the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe’

Boris Johnson lashed out at the Tory who likened Angela Rayner to Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct today, saying whoever was behind the ‘sexist, misogynist tripe’ would suffer ‘the terrors of the earth’ if identified.

The Prime Minister lashed out amid controversy over the anonymous Conservative backbencher who accused Labour’s deputy leader of putting the PM off at Prime Minister’s Questions by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

A Conservative MP suggested Ms Rayner likes to distract the Prime Minister when he is at the despatch box by deploying a Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone’s infamous police interview scene in the 1992 erotic thriller.

They said Ms Rayner ‘knows she can’t compete with Boris’s Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks’.

On the election trail in Bury today, Mr Johnson was asked whether there was a cultural problem in Parliament.

He told reporters: ‘It’s hard to say on the basis of that particular story. But I have to say I thought it was the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe.

‘I immediately got in touch with Angela and we had a very friendly exchange.

‘If we ever find who is responsible for it, I don’t know what we will do, but they will be the terrors of the earth. It’s totally intolerable, that kind of thing.’

Mr Johnson said he had been in contact with Ms Rayner regarding to comments, and vowed to take action against the perpetrator

On the election trail in Bury today, Mr Johnson was asked whether there was a cultural problem in Parliament. He told reporters: ‘It’s hard to say on the basis of that particular story. But I have to say I thought it was the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe.

The claims, first reported in the Mail on Sunday, were condemned as ‘categorically untrue’ by Ashton-under-Lyne MP Ms Rayner, who also hit out at ‘perverted smears’.

‘Boris Johnson’s cheerleaders have resorted to spreading desperate, perverted smears in their doomed attempts to save his skin,’ she said on Twitter.

‘They know exactly what they are doing. The lies they are telling.’

She accused the PM of ‘dragging the Conservative Party into the sewer’ and claimed the ‘anonymous Tory MPs doing his bidding are complicit’.

‘He and his cheerleaders clearly have a big problem with women in public life,’ she added.

‘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.’

As well as the PM’s intervention, Ms Rayner won further support from across Westminster – including among Labour colleagues, other opposition parties and political journalists.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this morning called for an end to the ‘misogynist’ culture at Westminster.

Sir Keir told ITV’s This Morning there would be ‘zero tolerance’ for such attitudes in his own party.

‘It is rank sexism, rank misogyny. She was really disgusted that all of her political attributes were put aside for this ridiculous, offensive story,’ he said.

‘She shouldn’t have to put up with it but all women in politics shouldn’t have to put up with it. Almost every woman in politics has had an element of this in some shape or form.

‘We have got to change the culture. The culture in Parliament, it is sexist, it is misogynist. We need to change it.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this morning called for an end to the ‘misogynist’ culture at Westminster

Technology minister Chris Philp has said that if the Tory MP responsible for misogynistic comments about Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner is identified they will face ‘serious consequences’.

Mr Philp said he expected efforts would be made to find out who spoke to The Mail on Sunday political editor Glen Owen but suggested the chances of success were limited.

‘I think that if anyone is identified having views like those that were expressed, which are just outrageous and misogynistic, then I would expect serious consequences to follow,’ he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

‘I expect efforts will be made to identify who is responsible for those views. But journalists fiercely guard their sources and I doubt Glen Owen will be volunteering that information.

‘I think there is ongoing, active work to make sure anyone holding offensive views, including the misogyny we saw demonstrated over the weekend, is called out and action is taken.’

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