Tory minister says whips should investigate, as shadow chancellor says other female MPs daily face sexism and misogyny
Any Tory MP who made misogynistic claims about Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, may face disciplinary action, a minister has said.
Technology minister Chris Philp said he was “appalled” by a report in the Mail on Sunday about claims by unnamed Tories that Rayner crossed and uncrossed her legs during prime minister’s questions to distract Boris Johnson.
He told Sky News: “Nobody should have to suffer the kind of misogynistic abuse that sentiment amounts to.”
He said he expected that government whips would investigate who had made the comments, and that if the details ever emerged he would “imagine they would be subject to discipline”.
Asked why Boris Johnson and the culture sectretary, Nadine Dorries, had posted identical tweets denouncing the claims, Philp said this was “nothing surprising” and because they had “reached the same view and they have used the same words”.
Johnson is also understood to have written directly to Rayner. The contents of the letter have not been shared, except for one quote reported by the Telegraph that stated: “The comments were not in my name.”
