Rosie Duffield: why is the Canterbury MP considering leaving Labour - what did she say on Twitter?

A Labour MP has said she is considering her future within the party - over “obsessive harassment” from former and current party members.

Rosie Duffield, MP for Canterbury, has alleged on Twitter that “personal” and “libellous” words had been published about her.

So, why did she post the Tweets and what are they about?

What did Rosie Duffield say on social media? 

In a series of Tweets, Ms Duffield said she is considering her future within the party “very carefully”.

It comes after the MP claimed that she has been subjected to “obsessive harassment” for several years - with little help or support.

On Twitter she wrote: “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 5 years ago. I am today considering my future in the Party very carefully…”

However, a Labour spokesperson said: "The Labour Party continues to be in touch with Rosie Duffield and has offered her advice and support."

What is the series of Tweets about?

Ms Duffield is now expected to be meeting senior party officials to discuss her future in the party after accusations emerged in a blog post that she has moved to live with her partner 200 miles away in north Wales.

Her partner, who makes documentaries, is reportedly filming at Wrexham Football Club, which US actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney now own.

However, the loss of Ms Duffield from Labour would be a huge blow for the party as she holds the only red seat in Kent since she was elected in 2017.

What has she previously said about trans rights?

She’s also been subjected to harassment and backlash in the past over her views on trans rights.

In November 2021, she came under fire for her opposition to “male-bodied biological men” being allowed to self-identify as female in order to access women-only spaces such as prisons and domestic violence refuges.

At the time, Ms Duffield told GB News: “I’m not remotely transphobic. I can’t imagine wanting to discriminate or hate a group of people just for who they are and how they want to live.”

But she said: “I don’t talk about trans rights because I think it’s not my place to talk about trans rights. Trans people have got some great organisations and they’re very good at representing their rights, and that is just as it should be.

“Trans rights are the same rights as everyone else, but what concerns me is that there is a slight conflict in some cases between trans rights and women’s rights.

“Women’s rights are why I came to Parliament, and why I’m sitting here, because women are now visible in Parliament.

“I grew up in a very strong feminist household, and what really concerns me are the rights of women to have privacy and space, and the necessity to be in women’s refuge – not shared with someone with a male body.”

She also said she is also an ally for trans people.

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