Labour today descended into civil war over trans rights after Rebecca Long-Bailey backed a campaign which labelled a women's rights organisation a 'trans-exclusionist hate group'.

The Labour Campaign for Trans Rights has published a 12-point plan which it said is designed to 'rid the Labour Party of transphobia and to stand up for trans people'.

Ms Long-Bailey tweeted: 'Please sign to show your support for the trans and non-binary community, for whom the Labour Party should always be a safe space.'

The campaign states that there is 'no material conflict between trans rights and women's rights' and calls for the 'expulsion from the Labour Party of those who express bigoted, transphobic views'.

However, one of the campaign's pledges calls for Labour to 'organise and fight against transphobic organisations such as Woman's Place UK, LGB Alliance and other trans-exclusionist hate groups'.

Woman's Place UK, a group which was established to 'ensure that women’s voices are heard and our sex based rights upheld', rejected the accusation which it said it believes is 'defamatory'.

Rebecca Long-Bailey, pictured in Nottingham on February 8, sparked a Labour civil war after backing the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights

Ms Long-Bailey urged Labour members to sign up to the group's 12 point plan amid a mounting backlash

The co-founders of the group said they are Labour members and are 'extremely concerned by the scurrilous mischaracterisation' of the organisation which was seemingly backed by Ms Long-Bailey.

The group said: 'We call on the Labour Party to demonstrate its opposition to this misogynistic abuse of women. Defend us or expel us.'

Meanwhile, the LGB Alliance, a group set up to 'advance the interests of LGB people', said it will 'keep speaking the truth and remain open to reasonable discussion'.

Woman's Place UK's ultimatum to the Labour leadership of 'defend us or expel us' was backed by a wave of party members on Twitter as they used the hashtag 'expelme'.

One user told Ms Long-Bailey that she was effectively 'endorsing the expulsion of women and LGB people from the party' for supporting Woman's Place UK or LGB Alliance.

Others said that they were 'gobsmacked' that Ms Long-Bailey had backed a campaign which 'calls a grassroots feminist org a "trans-exclusionary hate group"' while others warned the pledges could lead to a 'witch hunt'.

Lisa Nandy, one of Ms Long-Bailey's Labour leadership rivals, said Labour should 'always be an open and safe space for all' as she tweeted the campaign pledges

Deputy leadership candidate Angela Rayner also urged people to 'read and sign' up to the campaign pledges.

Lisa Nandy tweeted the pledges with the following comment: 'We've seen a rise in transphobic hate crimes in this country over recent years.

'Rather than allow women to be pitted against one another, the Labour Party should always be an open and safe space for all.'