Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been forced to deny calling Prime Minister Theresa May a "stupid woman" in the House of Commons, sparking a heated row over misogyny.
Television cameras picked up Mr Corbyn saying something under his breath after Mrs May likened his attempt to force a confidence vote in her earlier this week to a Christmas pantomine.
The incident sparked a furious debate in the Commons, with Conservative Party MPs demanding Mr Corbyn be brought back to apologise.
After being asked to return and address MPs, he denied using the sexist phrase.
Mr Corbyn said: "I referred to those who I believe were seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as 'stupid people'.
"I did not use the words 'stupid woman' about the Prime Minister or anyone else, and am completely opposed to the use of sexist or misogynist language in absolutely any form at all."
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Mrs May had suggested Mr Corbyn apologise if he had indeed used "inappropriate language" as the row overshadowed a heated Prime Minister's Questions that focused on the ongoing Brexit impasse.
Speaking on a subsequent visit to Heathrow Airport, Mrs May said that with 2018 marking the centenary of women getting the vote, she wanted "to see more women encouraged to come into parliament and not put off by the sort of remarks that they might feel have been said in parliament".
She added: "The speaker made very clear that if a member of parliament uses inappropriate language then they should apologise."
The almost immediate circulation of the footage of Mr Corbyn prompted uproar in the Commons, with shouting and heckling as a succession of MPs demanded action from Speaker John Bercow.
But he triggered a furious response from a number of female MPs, including Commons leader Andrea Leadsom after refusing to take immediate action because he had not seen the incident.
Mr Corbyn had already left the Commons chamber by the time the points of order were raised and his spokesman later said he had not said anything that required an apology.
The speaker later returned and told MPs that while it was "easy to see" why Mr Corbyn's words might have been construed as "stupid woman", "nobody can be 100% certain, that includes professional lipreaders".
He added: "I will naturally take and would be expected to take, the word of any right honourable or honourable member. It's reasonable to expect the house to do the same".
Before Mr Corbyn's statement, Conservative MPs had been quick to attack him, with party chairman Brandon Lewis urging him to either "apologise or clarify".
Mr Corbyn also faced criticism from his own backbenches.
The Labour leader's spokesman said afterwards that Mr Corbyn had said "stupid people", referring generally to MPs who were not taking the issues being debated seriously.
He said he had confirmed the word spoken with Mr Corbyn personally, adding: "He did not call her a stupid woman and so I don't think there's any basis for an apology."
