Rayner wears trousers to avoid being 'judged for what she wears' in TV appearance

26 April 2022, 12:30 | Updated: 20 October 2022, 11:56

Angela Rayner has told how she "consciously felt she wanted to put trousers on" for a new TV interview as she was fearful she would be "judged for what she wears rather than what she says".

Labour's deputy leader said she was "crestfallen" to learn of the claims that she tries to distract Boris Johnson in the Commons by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

In a new TV interview, Ms Rayner was asked whether wearing trousers has to be at the forefront of her mind following the misogynistic claims.

She said she "consciously" today felt that she wanted to put some trousers on, after she was criticised for wearing a skirt.

"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," she said.

"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'.

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

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She told ITV's Lorraine that her team pleaded with the Mail on Sunday that the comments from anonymous Conservatives were "completely untrue".

The MoS went ahead with the piece, including a quote from one MP, saying Ms Rayner "knows she can't compete with Boris's Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks".

The piece included a picture of the deputy Labour leader wearing a skirt on a previous episode of Good Morning Britain, instead of a picture of her in Parliament.

"They literally put that picture out as if I was showing skirt - which was actually a tailored dress - it was a John Lewis tailored dress," Ms Rayner said.

"For me, that's quite posh."

Ms Rayner hit out at the "sexism and classism" she says were behind the newspaper publishing the story.

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The Labour frontbencher said she was "really down" when the article was released and had to prepare her children for its claims.

She said that "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 and a paper was reporting that".

"It wasn't just about me as a woman, saying I was using the fact I'm a woman against the Prime Minister - which I think is quite condescending to the Prime Minister and shows you what his MPs think about his behaviour - but it was steeped in classism as well," she added.

She also said the article insinuated she must be "thick" because she went to a comprehensive school and she is "promiscuous" because she had a child when she was 16.

"I felt it was quite offensive to people from my background," she added.

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Earlier, Armed Forces minister James Heappey condemned the article on LBC, telling Nick Ferrari at Breakfast female MPs "shouldn't have to put up with this sort of crap".

Boris Johnson vowed that the MPs behind the claims would face "the terrors of the Earth" if they are identified.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will meet the Mail on Sunday's editor David Dillon and political editor Glen Owen over the article.

Mr Heappey said he backed the meeting, saying: "I think it's important that the Prime Minister and me, and everybody else, men, stand up for the fact that our female colleagues shouldn't have to put up with this sort of crap."