Controversy Over Video of Dancing at Spanish Club
"Everyone Needs Rest... Serious About Work" Rebuttal
Angela Rayner, the UK Deputy Prime Minister (44), responded to controversy after a video of her dancing at a nightclub in a Spanish resort was released, stating, "I take my job seriously."
On the 5th (local time), British daily newspapers The Times and Daily Mail reported that Deputy Prime Minister Rayner took the stage at a nightclub in Ibiza, a Spanish resort, singing and dancing next to the DJ.
The video showing this was posted on social media, sparking criticism that it was inappropriate for the Deputy Prime Minister to be dancing and enjoying herself at a nightclub.
Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries of the Conservative Party criticized this, saying, "She looks like a teenager," and added, "It was a wrong judgment to think it was okay for the Deputy Prime Minister to party like it was 1999 when many people are worried about the future."
She continued, "The country is with a party animal who prefers house music over the House of Commons," and added, "Deputy Prime Minister Rayner needs to mature."
In response, Deputy Prime Minister Rayner rebutted in an interview with Sky News. She said, "You can criticize me for dancing, but I take my job seriously," emphasizing, "I am always in Parliament and doing what I have to do. Everyone needs downtime. I take my job very seriously."
Rayner said, "I am working class and I like dancing and dance music," and lamented, "I have been criticized before for going to the opera, and when I went to the theater, I was called a 'champagne socialist' (a socialist who enjoys a luxurious lifestyle)."
Rayner was born and raised in public housing in Manchester, known as a so-called 'dirt spoon' background. In a past interview with the Financial Times (FT), she said, "When I was young, my mother couldn't read or write, so there were no books," and that she had to care for her mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder, from an early age.
Rayner dropped out of school at 16 and had her first child. After giving birth, she attended university part-time, studying British Sign Language and social welfare. Before entering politics, she worked as a caregiver and was elected as a union representative. She entered Parliament in 2015 and served as a shadow cabinet minister responsible for education and women's equality. Since Keir Starmer was elected Labour Party leader in 2020, she has served as deputy leader.
In the Sky News interview, she also expressed regret over the excessive attention and criticism she receives outside of her work as a female politician. Rayner said, "The day I entered 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister's residence) right after the general election victory was an incredible moment for someone from my background, but there was much more commentary about what I was wearing."
Rayner added, "I have worked to show that I am a person of value in what I do, but it is disappointing that people talk about what clothes I wear. Let's talk about the essence."
Earlier, the mint-colored suit Rayner wore at Keir Starmer's Prime Ministerial inauguration speech was reported to cost ?550 (about 970,000 KRW), and the orange dress she wore the next day was ?227 (about 400,000 KRW). Some conservative commentators attacked her, saying, "Rayner, who claimed to represent the working class, dared to wear pretty clothes not made in Bangladeshi factories."
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