'To me, he is a coward': Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner labels former PM Boris Johnson a 'disgrace' over resignation

The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, has branded former Prime Minister Boris Johnson a 'coward' over his resignation as an MP during the Partygate investigation.

Former PM Johnson yesterday (June 9) announced he would quit as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip with immediate effect in a bombshell statement accusing his enemies of trying to "drive him out". This was after the House of Commons Privileges Committee looking into whether he misled Parliament over the Partygate scandal warned him he faced being kicked out of Parliament over this.

He said he was "bewildered and appalled that I'm being forced out". However, deputy leader of the Labour Party and MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, has labelled him a 'coward' for his actions.

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Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live this morning, Ms Rayner said: "To me, he is a coward. He knows that the Privileges Committee has seen through this fiasco and he has jumped.

"He could have defended himself, he could have gone to his constituents and fought the suspension, and he has decided he is not doing to do that because he knows he is in the wrong. And he has never apologised to what he has done to the British people… he has basically been gaslighting the nation, and I think he is a disgrace."

Ms Rayner added that it was 'tosh' for Mr Johnson to argue that the inquiry had not been fairly conducted. In his full and lengthy resignation statement he described the committee as a 'kangaroo court' and accusing its chair, Labour MP Harriet Harman of 'egregious bias'.

However, Ms Rayner described the Privileges Committee as 'highly respected' and pointed to the fact that the majority of its members are Conservative