Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner is sometimes described as ‘fiery’ or ‘ballsy’, an authentic, working-class ‘gobby Northern lass’ – her own words – who can stick it to the Tories.
As such, she has come under intense scrutiny – some might say unfairly on occasion – over the way she speaks.
On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, as the row raged over the No 10 ‘party’ during the first lockdown in May 2020, Rayner said Boris Johnson had questions to answer about the gathering when people nationwide were banned from meeting more than one person they didn’t live with outdoors.
‘Was you there or not at the party?’ she demanded of the Prime Minister. She repeated this grammatical faux pas more than once. I winced each time. Not long after, Rayner took to Twitter to highlight the criticism she had received.
I, too, am a gobby Northern lass, hailing from Oldham, Greater Manchester, with an accent to match – which becomes stronger the more, er, animated I get. I did not go to a posh school; I went to a state comprehensive – but I was taught good grammar and I know its value
‘I’ve been on the media this morning so my accent and grammar are being critiqued,’ she posted.
‘I wasn’t Eton-educated, but growing up in Stockport I was taught integrity, honesty and decency. Doesn’t mater [sic] how you say it. Boris Johnson is unfit to lead.’
That may well be the case, Angela, but how you say it and the grammar you use do matter.
In my book, there is no excuse for bad grammar in spoken or written language. As a public figure – and the highest-ranking woman on the Opposition front bench – she should know better.
I, too, am a gobby Northern lass, hailing from Oldham, Greater Manchester, with an accent to match – which becomes stronger the more, er, animated I get. I did not go to a posh school; I went to a state comprehensive – but I was taught good grammar and I know its value.
![‘I wasn’t Eton-educated, but growing up in Stockport I was taught integrity, honesty and decency. Doesn’t mater [sic] how you say it. Boris Johnson is unfit to lead.’ That may well be the case, Angela, but how you say it and the grammar you use do matter](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/15/22/52974783-10406507-image-a-13_1642286116097.jpg)
‘I wasn’t Eton-educated, but growing up in Stockport I was taught integrity, honesty and decency. Doesn’t mater [sic] how you say it. Boris Johnson is unfit to lead.’ That may well be the case, Angela, but how you say it and the grammar you use do matter
You don’t have to have enjoyed a privileged upbringing or education in order to speak well and it is insulting to working-class people to suggest that their background rules out a command of the Queen’s English – by which I mean using language which is grammatically correct and free of slang.
Look at Prince Harry. The best education in the land at Boris’s alma mater – at a cost of about £44,000 a year – yet he often struggles to construct coherent sentences when interviewed. And that was before Californian psychobabble took over.
I’m not the only one to take issue with Rayner’s aggressive stance. GB News presenter Colin Brazier, who was born in Bradford, responded to her tweet with: ‘There are plenty of working-class folk who were taught the value of good grammar. I’m one of them.’
Naturally, the Labour Deputy Leader had support from her fan base on the Left, who agreed that, of course, poor Angela was the target of prejudice and snobbery. Author Michael Rosen told her: ‘You speak really well. There is nothing “wrong” with regional accents and dialects.’
He’s right. There is nothing wrong with regional accents and dialects – more of that later. But good grammar is the issue here. For Rayner to conflate the two is disingenuous.
Indeed, there are several prominent Labour MPs with interesting accents: Jon Trickett and Richard Burgon (Yorkshire), Jon Ashworth (Greater Manchester) and Jo Stevens (Welsh). As far as I am aware, no one makes fun of them. Nor is Rayner being vilified for her accent, however she might spin it.
