Rosie Duffield has exposed the moral decay of Labour

Rosie Duffield has left the Labour Party, and not a moment too soon. The MP for Canterbury published an enjoyably scathing resignation letter over the weekend, castigating her now-former party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, for his refusal to lift the two-child benefit cap, his scrapping of winter-fuel payments and the mounting allegations of sleaze. ‘I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once-proud party’, she wrote.

There’s no love lost between Duffield and Starmer. Duffield has faced years of death threats, harassment and abuse because of her gender-critical views – views held by the vast majority of the population. But rather than stick up for Duffield, Starmer’s Labour has subjected her to investigations over her alleged ‘transphobia’. Starmer refused even to meet her.

Duffield’s resignation letter makes no mention of the gender wars and what she’s been forced to endure, but the context for her decision is clear. You can certainly see it in the response from some of her colleagues. Nadia Whittome – the privately educated, 21st-century answer to Rick from The Young Ones – has said that Labour should have removed the whip from Duffield long ago. Apparently, Duffield has made a ‘political career out of dehumanising one of the most marginalised groups in society’. Which is an odd way to describe a woman standing up for women’s sex-based rights and being viciously demonised for doing so.

Many more Labour MPs have responded to Duffield’s resignation with stony silence. No doubt, many agree with her excoriating assessment of Starmer’s government – that it is managerialist, riddled with sleaze and oblivious to the bread-and-butter issues – but dare not say so in public.

The truth is that Labour has been technocratic, obsessed with identity politics and detached from the concerns of ordinary people for a very long time now. Tony Blair pivoted the party towards the interests of the professional middle classes and became preoccupied with managing citizens rather than empowering them.

Meanwhile, Labour’s decision to keep the two-child benefit cap is not an aberration, but a predictable move from a party with no sense of popular sentiment. The Brexit years, and Labour’s rejection of the people’s vote to leave the EU, tell you everything you need to know about the party’s view of the working class.

Labour’s transformation into the tribune of the new elites has gone hand in hand with its total abandonment of women’s rights. Only a party primarily interested in gaining kudos at Islington social events could tumble this far down the gender rabbit hole. That poor and working-class women are much more likely to need a women-only shelter doesn’t even occur to this bourgeois Labour Party.

Rosie Duffield’s resignation may well be welcomed by the leadership. She was a thorn in its side. But her experience within Labour should be a stain on the leadership of Keir Starmer, and a warning to other Labourites. If you dare to speak uncomfortable truths – including the most basic facts of human biology – your party will not have your back. Duffield’s bravery should inspire others to break free from a Labour Party that long ago abandoned ordinary people.

Ella Whelan is co-convenor of the Battle of Ideas festival on 19 and 20 October in London, where you can catch live recordings of the spiked podcast and Last Orders. spiked readers can get 20 per cent off tickets here, or by using the promo code SPIKED24 at checkout.