UK Labour politician defends calling government ‘scum’

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The deputy leader of Britain’s main opposition party is refusing to apologize for calling the governing Conservatives “scum.” Labour Party lawmaker Angela Rayner called members of the government a “bunch of scum — homophobic, racist, misogynistic” during a reception Saturday at the party’s annual conference. The comment drew a reprimand from Labour leader Keir Starmer, who said he would not use such language and “will talk to Angela about it later on.” But Rayner defended the comments, saying she had used “street language” to convey frustration with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government. The left-of-center Labour Party is holding its annual convention in the English seaside city of Brighton.