Angela Rayner has said she would be “very happy” to apologise to Boris Johnson for calling Tories “scum”, if he first says sorry for his “racist, homophobic and sexist” remarks.
Labour’s deputy leader upset Conservative MPs over the weekend when she used a late night speech in Brighton to attack them.
“We cannot get any worse than a bunch of scum, homophobic, racist, misogynistic, absolute vile… banana republic, vile, nasty, Etonian… piece of scum,” she told a meeting at Labour’s party conference.
Keir Starmer distanced himself for Rayner and said he would speak to her about the remarks.
“Angela and I take different approaches and that’s not language that I would use,” he said.
On Monday morning Rayner tweeted a selection of headlines highlighting the prime minister’s past controversial comments.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Rayner’s attack was “absolutely appalling”.
He told Sky News: “There’s no place in public life for that sort of language, that sort of behaviour.”
Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke told HuffPost UK: “It once again shows that Labour have nothing to offer the north other than bitter and nasty comments against those who northern voters elected over an out of touch Labour Party.”