A newspaper article has anonymously attacked Britain’s deputy opposition leader, sparking outrage and accusations of sexism and misogyny in the halls of British power

The Editor of the Mail on Sunday has been summoned before parliament for publishing a sexist article about Angela Rayner.

The article reports claims from an anonymous conservative MP who says Rayner tries to distract the prime minister by crossing and uncrossing legs.

The newspaper accuses her of applying seduction tactics similar to Sharon Stone’s interview scene in the 1992 erotic thriller, Basic Instinct.

The Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner calls the article “a dose of gutter journalism”.

“Boris Johnson’s cheerleaders have resorted to spreading desperate, perverted smears in their doomed attempts to save his skin,” Rayner says, in a tweet.

“Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day and I’m no different,” she says.

Rayner also accuses the Prime Minister of dragging the Conservative party to the sewer, saying “he and his cheerleaders have a big problem with women in public life”.

Boris Johnson also lashed out in response, calling the anonymous Tory MP a “sexist, misogynist tripe” who would face “the terrors of earth” when identified.

The Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Lohan says he will be meeting with David Dillon, the Editor of the Mail on Sunday to discuss the article’s “misogynistic and offensive” claims.

The Speaker says he has also set a time to meet Angela Rayner separately.

Rijul Baath contributed to this report