True to form, Rosie Duffield was splitting opinion on the rainy streets of Canterbury a day after her bombshell announcement that she was leaving Labour. Ironically for an MP who was a particular thorn in Jeremy Corbyn’s side, one of the stoutest defences from her Kent constituents came from two of his admirers, who now applauded Duffield for taking Keir Starmer to task. “He just doesn’t seem to like people who disagree with him, does he? And that’s a pity because it’s important to have dissenting voices in the party,” said Kay Andrews, a former probation service worker who was strolling through Canterbury centre. She and her partner, Nick – a retired headteacher – also noted how Duffield had opposed winter fuel allowance cuts and spoken out in support of the veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott. That said, they were on the fence as to whether they would vote in five years’ time for Duffield. For now though, departure from Labour was continuing to make ripples at Westminster.
Asked by reporters about Duffield’s weekend claim that Starmer has a “problem with women” and is “more interested in greed and power” than making changes to the country, a spokesperson for the prime minster responded with a blunt “no”. Among her constituents, there was evidence that such sentiment nevertheless had made an impact, alongside continuing anger at cuts to the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners. “I won’t be affected by it but there are obviously people who are struggling and I think it should have been left as it is,” said John Rolph, who works in a charity shop in the city. “If I’m honest, I never had an opinion of her as to whether or not she was a good or a bad MP but there will be a lot of people who probably agree broadly with what she has said. She’s also had a go at Starmer over taking gifts and hospitality, which again doesn’t look very good for him.”
However, there was also no shortage of evidence that Duffield could well struggle to hold on to the seat she has held since 2017. In some ways, local views of the MP sometimes broke down along generational lines in a city where the presence of university students have been key to Labour’s success. Now an independent, she is now the focus of speculation among some former Labour colleagues that she could ultimately jump ship for Reform UK. “That’s the journey she seems to be on, and it would probably suit both,” said one Labour MP. After a weekend media blitz, Duffield was not doing interviews, but told the Guardian: “I’m about as likely to join Reform as Jeremy Corbyn is.” Back in Canterbury, a source in the city’s Labour party said they felt let down and said that the 20,000 people who had voted for her three months ago had not wanted to send an independent back to parliament.
Those voters included Kate Tompsett, owner of the Happy and Glorious gift shop in the city centre. She said: “There was definitely a longing for change. I wanted to vote for the Green party but I was concerned it would split the vote and so I ended up supporting her, even if I disagree with her on other things. “I think she also shouts very loudly about some of those things – to the extent that it perhaps drowns out the need to speak up on behalf of the city and its needs.” Those “things” included transgender rights. For long a high-profile gender-critical voice in the party, she has described receiving threats over her stance and has complained of receiving little support from the party leadership. This cut little ice, however, with younger Canterbury voters like Ethan Chuter, who said they would never vote for her again and who told of how their boyfriend, a trans person, had been “celebrating” the news of Duffield’s departure. “I think support for trans rights is quite a big thing in our generation and shouldn’t be underestimated,” Chuter added.
Chuter’s parter, Gonçalo Alves, said that their views of Duffield were “mixed”. “As a leftist, it’s preferable to have a Labour MP. However, when following her on social media, expecting to see her talking about issues and policies regarding Canterbury, I was met with a large percentage of tweets being purely about transgender people. “So while as a constituent I’m trying to do my part in keeping informed about the state of my city, I’m instead being faced with a barrage of tweets that put in question the dignity and humanity of people like me.” Such issues, while not front and centre, are likely to be integral to Duffield’s future and that of who wins the seat at the next election. While Labour has benefited from an influx of new residents – young professionals priced out of the London housing market, attracted by affordable properties and the high-speed rail link – her Conservative opponents also pointed to tactical voting and Duffield’s own personality. Re-elected in July with an increased majority – thanks in part to Reform UK eating into the Tory vote – Duffield’s own political wanderings may yet not be at an end.