Lord Cashman has Labour whip suspended over Rosie Duffield ‘frit or lazy’ claim
Lord Cashman has apologised for his comment aimed at Labour candidate Ms Duffield.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former EastEnders star Lord Cashman has had the Labour whip suspended for suggesting Rosie Duffield was scared or lazy after she called off local hustings over safety concerns.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the peer’s comments were “particularly inappropriate”.
Ms Duffield, who is standing for re-election in Canterbury, has been the target of abuse over her defence of women’s rights and female-only spaces.
Former Labour MEP Lord Cashman commented on a social media post about Ms Duffield’s decision, saying she was “Frit. Or lazy”.
Sir Keir told reporters on a campaign visit that what Lord Cashman said was “particularly inappropriate and that’s why the support of the whip was withdrawn as it was very swiftly”.
Ms Duffield said the “extremely difficult decision” to cancel local hustings was made because the “actions of a few fixated individuals” had affected her “sense of security and wellbeing”.
She has faced allegations of transphobia about her defence of female-only spaces.
After the backlash to his remarks, Lord Cashman said: “I apologise unreservedly for a post that I put out regarding the Labour candidate for Canterbury. I fully understand any complaints that will be sent to the Labour Party.”