A former Labour MP has claimed that she was “treated like a pariah” by her fellow party members after she stood firm in her position over the transgender issue.
Rosie Duffield, who now sits as an Independent, has opened up on the relentless abuse she endured after she pushed for greater protections over single-sex spaces.
Previously, she has slapped Starmer with accusations that he had a “problem with women”.
“I would have really liked to have had just a short statement basically calling the dogs off, saying that I had Keir Starmer’s backing, that he supported me as an MP,” she told The Times.
Rosie Duffield pictured with Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy of Sex Matters
GETTY
“But I didn’t ever have that. And I was told very clearly by an adviser that was something he would never do,” she said.
She added that she “became a sort of pariah” as the Labour Party dodged any association with the Canterbury MP.
“Nobody wanted to be treated like I was. They could all see it, and they could see that it was very much led by the Labour Party,” she explained.
The 53-year-old added that she did not “really” need an apology from Starmer because she believed it would be lacking in sincerity.
LATEST ON THE TRANSGENDER ISSUE:
In a damning character assassination of the PM, she said: “Keir comes across as not exactly human, not exactly involved in this and not empathetic and not understanding the issue.”
She declared that, while a sentimental statement could be thrown together by an adviser, Starmer lacked any “proper, deep-rooted understanding and empathy” of the issue.
Kemi Badenoch landed blow after blow as the Labour leader sweated in the hot seat as the transgender issue dominated the agenda during Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday.
During one slam dunk, the Tory leader accused Starmer of “hounding” the Canterbury MP out of his party.
During one slam dunk, the Tory leader accused Starmer of 'hounding' the Canterbury MP out of his party
PA
The issue became top billing after the Supreme Court ruled that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010 was based on biological sex.
In the aftermath of the decision, trans activists erupted in fury as they believed their rights had been curtailed.
Transgender people still remain a protected group under the same 2010 Act.
When asked whether he would apologise to Duffield, Starmer told MPs: “I always approach this on the basis that we should treat everyone with dignity and respect, whatever their different views, and I will continue to do so.”
In the past, Starmer has managed to blur what his beliefs really were on the matter, as Duffield admitted to the Times that “nobody knows what [the PM’s] view was”.
Since the ruling, the Holborn and St Pancras MP said a “woman is an adult female”, adding that he welcomed the “clarity” accompanied by the legal decision.
