Mail on Sunday Editor Refuses to Meet With Parliament Speaker After Explosive 'Basic Instinct' Piece

The scandal erupted after the tabloid, citing an anonymous Tory MP, claimed Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner deliberately attempted to distract PM Boris Johnson during PMQs in the Commons by "crossing and uncrossing her legs", hinting at Sharon Stone's famous raunchy scene from Paul Verhoeven's 'Basic Instinct'.

The Mail on Sunday’s editor David Dillon has refused to meet with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, after the newspaper published a controversial story on opposition MP Angela Rayner.

"I am a staunch believer and protector of press freedom, which is why when an MP asked me to remove the pass of a sketch writer last week for something he had written, I said 'no'," Hoyle said before Dillon's response. "I firmly believe in the duty of reporters to cover parliament, but I would also make a plea — nothing more — for the feelings of all MPs and their families to be considered, and the impact on their safety, when articles are written."

The speaker has called claims made in the Mail's story on Rayner "misogynistic", while Rayner herself slammed the report, accusing BoJo's "cheerleaders" of "spreading desperate, perverted smears in their doomed attempts to save his skin".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also criticised the report, saying that despite his disagreements with Rayner "on almost every political issue", he respected the opposition politician and condemned "the misogyny directed at her anonymously".

According to The Telegraph, MPs have been warned against repeating such claims.