Michael Cashman's attack on Rosie Duffield costs him the Labour ...

The peer and Stonewall co-founder Michael Cashman has had the Labour whip suspended for calling Rosie Duffield “frit or lazy” for pulling out of a hustings event, LabourList understands.

The former Member of the European Parliament and Labour national executive committee chair, who became a peer in 2014, apologised for his remarks.

He posted on X on Sunday: “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.”

It came after a now-deleted post in which he had reportedly responded to news that Duffield had withdrawn from a hustings event by writing: “Frit. Or lazy”.

Duffield, who has previously faced death threats, had highlighted “constant trolling,spite and misrepresentation” and said it was affecting her ‘sense of security and wellbeing”.

She said in a statement too that candidates had to be “mindful of our own safety” and that of their campaign teams.

Asked about the issue by journalists today, Keir Starmer said what Cashman said was “particularly inappropriate”, adding: “That’s why the support of the whip was withdrawn as it was very swiftly”.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting had told Times Radio on Sunday: “I strongly disagree with Michael. That is extremely unfair and I was very concerned Rosie’s not able to participate in hustings and is having to change the way she behaves because of abuse.

“That is wholly intolerable and unacceptable, as is the abuse Nigel Farage has had. I count Michael and Rosie as friends and this is exactly the kind of division I’ve been working really hard to try and work through and heal.”

Cashman, a former actor, represented the West Midlands as an MEP and was a member of Labour’s governing body for over a decade.

The peer and the Labour party were approached for comment.

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Tom Belger

Tom Belger is editor of LabourList.