Glasgow politicians react to ‘sexist’ article which targeted Labour’s Angela Rayner

Angela Rayner is the Labour MP for Ashton under Lyne and is currently serving as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, as well as in numerous other Shadow Cabinet positions.

The Mail on Sunday recently released an article at the weekend which claimed that the politician attempted to distract the Prime Minister in the Commons with her legs. Ms Raynor has denied the claims and slammed the paper’s coverage as “gutter journalism”, in a series of tweets.

There has been widespread outrage over the Mail on Sunday’s article, which many have branded sexist and unfair. MPs and MSPs from across Glasgow joined the criticism.

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader and MSP for the Glasgow Region, said on Twitter: “The sexists and misogynists behind this vile piece can only ever dream of being as liked, talented, effective and decent as Angie.”

This sentiment was shared by his Labour colleague, Pauline McNeil, MSP for the Glasgow Region, who said: “I am incandescent about the blatant sexist treatment of Angela Rayner in an attempt to belittle her, not to mention, the fact that it’s untrue. I have never met Angela but I know she won’t be lying down to this - it’s a stain on journalism and politics in 2022.”

Some Glasgow politicians shared their outrage towards the journalist who wrote the piece.

The Scottish National Party’s David Linden, MP for Glasgow East, said: “I’ve never been a fan of bashing journalists, even when they’ve made things challenging/uncomfortable for me. But imagine going to study journalism, answering the noble calling of holding politicians to account via our press and then churning out this pathetic and pitiful mince.”

But others, such as the SNP’s Anne McLaughlin, MP for Glasgow North East, have shared their disappointment in the Conservative Party. She tweeted: “If the Tory MPs who fed that sickening misogynistic nonsense about Angela Rayner to that sickeningly misogynistic paper are so sure of what they say why don’t they come out from their creepy hiding place and use their words? Because lies and stalking is more their style #solidarity”

Stewart McDonald, SNP MP for Glasgow South, also took to Twitter where he defended Ms Raynor and praised her for taking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to task. He said: “The Mail article about Angela Rayner isn’t only appalling but it’s completely wrong on who comes out on top when she goes toe-to-toe with him in parliament. I’ve witnessed it, Angela bulldozes his rambling garbage and exposes him for the vacuous fraud he truly is.”