Labour's Rosie Duffield won't be attending any local hustings

Rosie Duffield, Labour's candidate for Canterbury, Whitstable & the villages, has announced that she will not be attending any local hustings.

STATEMENT

Today I have made the extremely difficult decision not to attend local hustings events during this General Election campaign. Hustings are usually an enjoyable and interesting part of any political campaign, but sadly the actions of a few fixated individuals have now made my attendance impossible. The constant trolling, spite and misrepresentation from certain people - having built up over a number of years and being pursued with a new vigour during this election - is now affecting my sense of security and wellbeing. The result is that I feel unable to be focused on giving a clear presentation of the Labor Party's manifesto commitments.

Since the start of this campaign, myself and many other candidates have had to be mindful of our own safety and the safety of our campaign teams. I've had to spend time and money on personal security. This has a very real effect on democracy and MPs should be able to meet with and talk to all of their constituents, particularly during an election period I hope the other candidates feel able to enjoy what will be for most their first hustings experience, that is free from abuse and interruption, and I will no doubt see them during the rest of the campaign. I will be holding several secure local events in the coming weeks so that constituents can indeed put their questions to me. Please email this address to register for further details -enquiries@rosieduffield.co.uk.