Labour’s deputy leader said she was sorry if her comments offended people before launching a fresh attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Ms Rayner had repeatedly refused to back down after causing outrage with the comments at the start of Labour’s conference.

       But she was given a dressing down by Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday for the tirade and yesterday the frontbencher said she understood why people were upset.

       Ms Rayner told the BBC: “I was at a post-watershed event in the evening and the point being, and this is really crucial for me, I understand people are upset by that language, I do understand that.

       “That’s me, I’m bombastic, and I apologise if it offended the public in the way in which I expressed it.

       “But people were more outraged by me saying that then looking into Boris Johnson’s racism, misogynism and homophobia.”

       Conservative MP Paul Holmes said: “It’s shameful that Angela Rayner still hasn’t apologised for comments that are offensive to the 14 million people that voted Conservative in 2019.

       “When Keir Starmer’s speech had more insults than policy in it, it’s clear that the Labour Party are more focused on stoking division than setting out a plan for the British people.”