The election for three new places on Labour's governing body has turned nasty, as several Labour supporters make transphobic and abusive comments about Eddie Izzard

The election for three new places on Labour’s governing body has turned nasty, as several Labour supporters make transphobic and abusive comments about high-profile candidate Eddie Izzard.

One suggested that Izzard’s place on the Party’s National Executive Committee would damage Labour electorally if he is successful, asking ‘Is he really good for the public image of the Labour Party when he insists on Tarting up?’

Another wrote, ‘I think politics in the LP (Labour Party) should be a serious matter and not open to ridicule. I think he’ll cause great distraction, and before we know it we’ll be involved in endless debates about transsexuals, drag queens, and the rest of it!’

The comedian came out as Trans in 1985, regularly performing stand-up routines and attending Labour Party campaign sessions wearing women’s clothes and make-up.

This confused another troll, who asked ‘Is he a man or a woman?’ going on to explain ‘is a really big point for me’.

The comments were posted on The Labour Party Forum on Facebook, in a response to one of Izzard’s campaign videos.

Several other members of the forum attacked Izzard’s appearance in one particularly photo in which he is wearing lipstick.

Izzard has made promoting diversity within Labour a key pledge of his campaign, pointing out there has never been a Trans MP and publishing an Inclusivity Plan.

The ballot for the NEC election open, with the Momentum slate favourites to win all three places. Jon Lansman, Yasmine Dar, and Rachel Garnham have all been nominated by more than 180 constituency parties. Izzard, Johanna Baxter, and Gurinder Singh Josan, who are standing as the ‘Independent’ slate backed by Labour First and Progress, have 71, 67, and 55 nominations respectively.

Voting closes on Friday.