Landslide at Labour: Rosie Duffield leaves party in dispute over Starmer

Rosie Duffield, the Member of Parliament for Canterbury since 2017, has announced her departure from the Labour Party. The reason cited is the acceptance of luxury gifts by party leader Sir Keir Starmer and his "cruel" policies, such as the cut to the winter fuel allowance. Duffield, who frequently clashed with Starmer’s leadership, especially on issues such as sex and gender identity, made her surprising withdrawal known just months after the parliamentary elections. In a letter released on Saturday evening, she accuses the Labour Prime Minister of "staggering and increasingly outrageous" hypocrisy. The context is a scandal involving the acceptance of expensive gifts, including designer suits and glasses, from Labour Lord Alli. The 53-year-old expressed horror at the "outrageous greed that has sullied and humiliated the party." She criticized that someone with "above-average wealth" is upholding the cap on child benefits for poor families while simultaneously accepting expensive personal gifts. Duffield was also outraged that Starmer showed no "trace of embarrassment" when he accepted free family trips to events, while at the same time the fuel allowance was being cut. Chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to restrict the allowance to pensioners with Pension Credit, aiming to save around 1.4 billion pounds for the state budget. This decision met broad criticism from charities, unions, and some Labour MPs. At the annual party conference in Liverpool last week, a motion to overturn this plan was supported. Although Duffield hopes to return to Labour one day, she currently prioritizes her duty to her constituents as an independent MP over party affiliation. The former teaching assistant and union member has also previously voiced criticism over the lack of support from Labour leadership for her views on trans issues, particularly her belief that biologically male individuals should not have access to certain protected spaces such as women’s shelters.