Even British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cried out. Sunday 24 April, a particularly misogynistic article from the tabloid Post on Sunday caused the unrest of the political class. The journalist anonymously quotes MPs who accuse the Labor Party’s number two Angela Rayner of using her ‘basic instinct’ charms to confuse the Prime Minister.
Boris Johnson is not necessarily known for his adherence to the feminist cause. When he arrived at 10 Downing Street, the Europhobe took a number of pans with him, including particularly sexist remarks and an ambiguous stance on the right to abortion. This time, however, the Prime Minister did not fail to denounce the “misogyny” aimed at the Labor MP via a tweet: “While I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political topic, I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny anonymously directed against her today.”
In fact, the disturbing article by the Post on Sunday combines opposition and for good reason. The journalist, in addition to publishing sexist comments against Angela Rayner, publishes anonymity to the authors of these gossip. “Gutter” journalism denounces the number two of the PvdA. The press supervisor, for his part, indicated on Monday 25 April that he had received numerous complaints.
Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day – and I am no different.
This morning is the last dose of gutter journalism thanks to @MoS_Politics
🧵👇🏻1/9
— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) Apr 24, 2022
In particular, the article cites a deputy sheriff comparing Angela Rayner to Sharon Stone in the movie Basic Instinct. The attack refers to the sequence in which the actress crosses and untangles her legs in front of the investigators to distract them. What the MP reportedly did during a session with Boris Johnson during questions to the head of government in parliament.
One of the sources also allegedly added that Angela Rayner “cannot compete” with the oratorio skills of Boris Johnson “but (that) she has other skills that she doesn’t”†
The article also describes the 41-year-old deputy leader of the Labor Party, as: “a socialist grandmother who dropped out of school at age 16 while pregnant and without a degree before becoming a social worker”† In response, Angela Rayner stated that she was proud of her career, hoping that these needless attacks would not deter “anyone with a background like mine who aspires to participate in public life”.