Tory MP's rage as Labour and Church of England go woke on Easter Sunday

By David Maddox, Political Editor

Rishi Sunak declines to apologise over transgender jibe

A Tory MP has exploded in fury after Labour chose to put out a message celebrating "Transgender day of Visibility" on Easter Sunday.

Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith described Keir Starmer's party as clowns for the post on X (formerly Twitter) marking the woke celebration on the holiest day in the Christian calendar.

It came after his former party colleague Lee Anderson, who has defected to Reform UK, wrote for Express.co.uk that politicians need to remember that Britain "is a Christian country."

Copying in the Labour Tweet, Mr Clarke-Smith posted: "Easter Sunday. It’s on us to give people a reason to vote for a Conservative Government and not simply argue ‘well the alternative is a lot worse’.

"But the prospect of these clowns running this country should fill any sensible person with absolute horror. We can’t let it happen."

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Labour had posted: "Today, on Trans Day of Visibility, and always, Labour stands with trans people."

Earlier the party had also posted a Happy Easter message.

The attack by Mr Clarke-Smith is a sign of a brutal campaign ahead of the general election which looks like it could focus on cultural and wke issues.

Already, the Tories have put out the picture of Labour leader Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner taking the knee for the Marxist Black Lives Matter movement as they rioted in London.

Starmer's refusal to say what a woman is has also been a source of contention which recently led to him describing Rishi Sunak as "transphobic" after he made a jibe about it during Prime Minister's questions when the mother of a murdered transgender teenager was present.

But Mr Clarke Smith's anger was not just directed at the Labour Party. He was also furious with his local vicar in the East Midlands.

Starmer and Rayner take the knee for BLM in an infamous photo (Image: Labour)

Nicky Skipworth, vicar of All Saints Church in Harworth and Bircotes in his constituency, posted a message on Saturday saying: "Tomorrow is Easter Day, but - being 31 March - it is also Transgender Day of Visibility.

"Being visibile may be the last thing a trans person wants, so great is the risk of public humiliation and worse, but if you are, or know someone, who is trans we want you to know that Easter Day, your special day won't be forgotten.

"Could it be that the two celebrations go better together than many think?"

The leftwing vicar is a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights group Stonewall and the trade union Unite.

Mr Clarke-smith told Express.co.uk: "Absolutely crazy stuff. You’d have thought Easter Day of all days they would leave this nonsense for a bit."