Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has apologised after she appeared to call a Conservative MP “scum” in parliament on Wednesday.
The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne was accused of aiming the remark at Tory MP Chris Clarkson during a heated debate about economic support for regions with stricter coronavirus restrictions.
This came after the collapse of negotiations between the government and Greater Manchester over extra funding for the city, which is set to enter tier 3 restrictions from Friday.
Accusing Labour politicians of trying to exploit the coronavirus crisis, Mr Clarkson said: “I implore members opposite to park the opportunism.”
“I know (shadow education secretary Kate Green) thinks this is a good crisis that the Labour Party should exploit, and I know she speaks for a lot of her frontbench colleagues when she says that,” he added.
The Conservative MP was then heckled by the Labour deputy leader, who reportedly used the word “scum”.
As a result, Dame Eleanor Laing, the deputy speaker, interrupted proceedings to say that comments like that were unacceptable in the Commons – even if they were “heartfelt”.
Ms Rayner later said in a statement: “I apologise for the language that I used in a heated debate in Parliament earlier.”
Before the fiery exchange, Labour’s deputy leader had opened the economic support motion, which was defeated by a majority of 79, by labelling the financial package offered to Greater Manchester by the government “an insult”.
Ms Rayner was among the Labour politicians who also took aim at the 322 Tory MPs who voted on Wednesday against an initiative spearheaded by footballer Marcus Rashford to provide eligible children with free school meals in the holidays.
“Tonight I voted to feed our country’s vulnerable and needy children. The Tories voted to let them go hungry,” she tweeted.
