A Labour MP has threatened to resign the whip, accusing her party of ignoring her complaints of harassment and libel by current and former members.
Rosie Duffield, who represents Cantebury, claims she has been subjected to ‘years’ of ‘nasty and fictional’ comments online about her personal life without ‘any support, help or legal assistance’ from the party.
She accused officials under both Keir Starmer and former leader Jeremy Corbyn of failing to step in despite Kent Police, the Parliamentary Security team and the Speaker’s Office all taking action on her case.
Duffield was elected in 2017 and has been vocally criticised by some Labour activists and LGBT campaigners for her views on trans issues.
The 50-year-old was investigated by party officials last summer after liking a tweet by Kurtis Tripp, a gay American rapper, saying that trans people are ‘mostly heterosexuals cosplaying as the opposite sex’.
Mr Starmer publicly rebuffed her in September for supporting crticisim of a tweet about public health advice referring to ‘individuals with a cervix’ to avoid excluding trans men.
Ms Duffield initially insisted ‘only women have a cervix’, prompting criticism online, before accepting that the term ‘applies to some people’ for whom ‘this advice is great’.
Her threat to quit followed accusations by a party member that she had moved 200 miles away from her constituency to be with her partner in Wrexham, The Guardian reports.
On Sunday, she tweeted: ‘I am aware of yet more personal, libellous, nasty and fictional crap being published about me again today. All published/written by ex and current @UKLabour members who are clearly absolutely obsessed by my private life for some reason.
‘I have been subjected to this rubbish for several years now. It is obsessive harrassment. Neither the Labour Party or either the former or current Leader or the Whips’ Office have done anything at all to stop it, to offer me any support, help or legal assistance.
‘Kent police, parliamentary Security team and the Speaker’s Office have been helpful but it is the Labour party that have offered me no support at all since I unexpectedly became an MP five years ago. I am today considering my future in the Party very carefully.’
Labour did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kent Police have been approached for comment.
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