Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has condemned a Mail on Sunday article about her as “sexist” and “classist”.
In an interview on ITV’s Lorraine, Ms Rayner said she worn a trouser suit for her appearance because she did not want to be judged for what she wore.
She said she was “crestfallen” to learn of the claims, published in the Sunday newspaper, that she was trying to distract the prime minister in the Commons by crossing and uncrossing her legs.
Her comments come amid reports that Sue Gray’s evaluation of Covid breaching lockdown parties in Downing Street could be released by “the end of May at the earliest”.
Sources told the Guardian that the senior civil servant is “working towards the end of May as the most likely timetable” for completing her report.
Ms Gray was forced to delay her Partygate report while the Metropolitan Police completes its investigation into the events in Downing Street, which Scotland Yard confirmed it would not update until the end of the local elections.
