Boris Johnson news - live: Angela Rayner slams ‘perverted’ smear as PM responds

“Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as president of France,” Mr Johnson wrote on Sunday.

The prime minister added: “France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.”

Mr Macron has won a second term of the French presidency by securing 58.55 per cent of the votes, defeating his far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

His victory, amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, became crucial for the European allies after Ms Le Pen said there should be a “strategic rapprochement” between Nato and Russia after the conflict ended.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has written to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner to insist that the “misogynistic” claims reportedly made about her by an unidentified Tory MP were not in his name.

Mr Johnson sent a letter to the Labour leader in response to a report in the Mail on Sunday which has been condemned by Tory and Labour MPs alike, The Daily Telegraph reported.

In his letter, Mr Johnson moved to assure Ms Rayner that the comments were “not in his name”, expressing his sympathy over the anonymous attack.

Alana Calvert reports.

Three Tory ministers and two Labour shadow cabinet ministers were reported to a parliamentary watchdog that deals with complaints against MPs over allegations of sexual misconduct.

They are among 56 MPs who have been referred to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) in relation to about 70 separate complaints, The Sunday Times reported.

The allegations range from making sexually inappropriate comments to more serious wrongdoing, the paper said, with at least one complaint believed to involve criminality and an allegation that an MP “bribed a member of staff in return for sexual favours”.

Thomas Kingsley has more.

Prime minister Boris Johnson, in a show of support to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, condemned the ‘misogyny directed at her anonymously”.

“As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has accused Tory MPs of using anonymous briefings to spread “desperate, perverted smears” about her by claiming she has sought to distract the prime minister in the Commons.

The Mail On Sunday reported that conservatives had claimed Ms Rayner enjoyed attempting to put Mr Johnson “off his stride” by “crossing and uncrossing her legs”, in a reference to the 1992 erotic thriller ‘Basic Instinct’.

“I won’t be letting their vile lies deter me. Their attempts to harass and intimidate me will fail. I’ve been open about how I’ve had to struggle to get where I am today. I’m proud of my background, I’m proud of who I am and where I’m from - but it’s taken time,” she added.

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