Rosie Duffield ‘snubbed’ from Labour election launch - despite being its only elected MP in region

Labour MP Rosie Duffield was cleared of anti-Semitism and transphobia following an internal investigation - Julian Simmonds

Rosie Duffield was snubbed by Sir Keir Starmer at his election launch event in Kent on Thursday - even though she is the only elected Labour MP in the county.

The MP for Canterbury - who has angered many in her party for her stance on women’s rights - only found out about the event on social media.

No Labour leader had visited Kent for years after Ms Duffield was elected in a shock 2017 victory.

However, Sir Keir has travelled to the county on numerous occasions recently, although she says he has never thought to tell her.

This is despite her being the only elected Labour MP in Kent, compared with 12 Conservatives.

Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, defected from the Tories to Labour earlier this month. However, she will not be standing in the next election.

Angela Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer launched Labour's election campaign at Gillingham Football Club on Thursday morning - Labour Party

Sir Keir launched his election campaign at Gillingham Football Club in the constituency of Gillingham and Rainham. The seat is currently held by Rehman Chishti, a Conservative, with a majority of more than 15,000.

The Labour leader was joined by Angela Rayner, his deputy, Naushabah Khan, the party’s local candidate, and several councillors from the area.

It is believed Ms Duffield only found out about the event on X, formerly Twitter, after people messaged her to ask why she was not there.

The Canterbury MP has angered many in her party for supporting the right of women to same-sex spaces such as toilets, changing rooms and rape crisis centres.

She was also vilified by some for saying that only women have a cervix and that transwomen are not women.

Ms Duffield was subject to an internal investigation after she was accused of anti-Semitism and transphobia, after which she was exonerated.

However, Sir Keir never apologised to her about the ordeal. For years he refused to meet her - but did so for the first time in Westminster earlier this month.

Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to Kent earlier this month, where he posed for pictures with Natalie Elphicke (left) and Yorkshire MP Yvette Cooper (right) - Steve Finn Photography

Two weeks ago he visited Kent to see Ms Elphicke in Dover. But he did not stop to visit Ms Duffield despite going past her office on the train.

At the launch, the Labour leader said the general election in July was a choice between “two different countries [and] two different futures,” as well as “decline and chaos continuing under the Tories, or rebuilding our country under Labour.”

He added: “The power of the vote is with you. If you want change, you have to vote for it.

“And if you vote Labour, it is a vote to stop the chaos, it is a vote to turn the page and it is a vote to rebuild our country together.”

Labour said that no MPs from Kent or further afield were invited to the launch event, as the focus had been on new candidates.

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