Angela Rayner’s best Boris takedowns

Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner appears to have taken to hilariously slamming Boris Johnson’s government at every turn – here are some of her best knockdowns

MPs from both sides of the aisle have spoken out in defense of Deputy Labor Leader and Shadow Secretary Angela Rayner.

According to a cowardly unnamed Conservative MP, a story in the Mail on Sunday claimed Rayner tried to “throw Prime Minister Boris Johnson out of step” by crossing and uncrossing her legs while sitting opposite him.

It said: “Tory MPs have mischievously hinted that Ms Rayner would like to distract the Prime Minister when he is in the shipping box by performing a fully clothed Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone’s infamous scene in the 1992 film Basic Instinct.

“It is also suggested that she uses the tactic when she sits next to Sir Keir when he faces Mr. Johnson at PMQs.”

What did MEPs say about the comments?

Johnson condemned the comments on Twitter: “As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue, I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the anonymous misogyny directed at her today.”

Meanwhile, Rayner’s boss Sir Keir Starmer said: “The sexism and misogyny peddled by the Tories is a shameful new low for a party mired in scandal and chaos.”

Ms Rayner herself described the move as a “perverse slander” and tweeted: “Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day – and I’m no different.

“This morning’s latest dose of gutter journalism courtesy of @MoS_Politics.”

She added in the thread: “The Prime Minister who is dragging the Conservative Party down the sewer – and the anonymous Tory MPs who are doing his bidding, are complicit.

“He and his cheerleaders clearly have a big problem with women in public life.”

But it’s not the first time Rayner has banged on the Conservative bench during Johnson’s administration.

Angela Rayner’s best takedowns from Boris Johnson

In January 2022, Angela Rayner caused a laugh when she snubbed the Prime Minister and appeared “regal” as she blew away his attempted putdown.

On the Government’s response to the pandemic, Johnson said: “When the history of this pandemic is made and the history of the Labor Party is made – and believe me they are history and will be history Mr Speaker – it will show that we have delivered while they faltered.

“And we vaccinated while they vacillated.”

However, when the camera flashed over to the Labor Deputy Leader, she could be seen waving slowly and unblinkingly to the Tory benches.

Speaking to the Express, body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass said the Prime Minister was “stunned as he stammered, ‘Time will tell, time will tell’ and angrily pointed a finger at her while looking directly at her, then turned his head away from her to the side regain his composure.”

Earlier this month, Rayner had another shot at Johnson while discussing the skyrocketing inflation rates that have wreaked havoc across the country.

She told him inflation rates hadn’t been this high since there was a “Tory party in the quagmire with a split party and a prime minister who’s losing support and governing shambolic,” before adding: “Sounds like it famous?”

Back in September 2020, Labor leader Keir Starmer was forced into isolation after picking up on Covid-19. Angela Rayner stepped forward and delivered a crushing defeat to the Prime Minister.

Speaking about a lack of Covid testing, she drew on another scandal from his government, saying: ‘The next time a man with Covid-19 symptoms travels from London to Durham it will probably be for the next Covid be a test.”

In the speech, she also said: “The Prime Minister has placed his faith in Operation Moonshot. There are now no NHS tests on planet earth for areas with high infection rates.”

However, Rayner hasn’t aimed all of her best shots at Johnson himself as his Cabinet appointments are very much in the line of fire.

In 2019, Johnson reinstated the disgraced Gavin Williamson to the head of government after Theresa May sacked him as defense secretary.

Johnson made him his education secretary, but his appointment was accompanied by a tweet from Rayner simply saying, “Hey congratulations @GavinWilliamson, looking forward to teaching you,” followed by a grinning tongue-out emoji.