Rayner-gate rumbles on into day three, with no sign yet that the press have bored of talking about themselves. The Deputy Labour leader was accused by an anonymous Tory MP in the Mail on Sunday of ‘flashing’ the Prime Minister at PMQs, prompting wall-to-wall criticism across every media outlet. Radio 4 led its 6 o’clock news programme with Speaker Hoyle’s latest soundings: Angela Rayner herself starred on Lorraine today to talk about her upset at the coverage.
But now the Mail on Sunday has had the ultimate accolade afforded to it. For Diane Abbott, the former Labour shadow home secretary, has now issued one of her infamous tweets about the author of the MoS piece, political editor Glen Owen.
Such tweets have become a staple part of Westminster folklore: as much a part of the parliamentary furniture as Black Rod or the Speaker’s chair. They typically involve Abbott selecting a grainy picture of her intended target and a pithy conclusion on their shortcomings. Past victims have included Liz Truss, Cressida Dick and Michael Fabricant.
Abbott has now decided to go for Mail man Glen Owen on the grounds of his appearance, declaring that he ‘wrote the ridiculously misogynistic story about Angela Rayner and her legs’ and adding that it is ‘interesting that he feels entitled to judge female MPs by their looks.’
Good to see she’s found a way of keeping herself busy since Sir Keir Starmer unceremoniously dumped her off the frontbench. Still, at least it makes a change from shilling for China, equivocating on Ukraine or advocating for fanatical Zero Covid policies…
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