So Is This ‘Kinder' Politics, Angela?

Deputy Labour leader calls Tories ‘scum’... two years after calling for end of personal attacks

- Macer Hall

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was put on the spot yesterday after his deputy refused to apologise for calling the Tories “a bunch of scum”.

In a nightmare start to Labour’s annual conference in Brighton, he was forced to distance himself from Angela Rayner’s abusive outburst at the weekend.

Her offensive comments stand in stark contrast to remarks made two years when she called for “kinder” politics during Labour feuds.

He said he would not use similar language and would be “speaking to Angela later”. But he stopped short of asking her to withdraw the slur.