Labour chiefs have disclosed that Angela Eagle endured homophobic abuse after challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the party’s leadership.
The Liverpool Echo claim the revelations emerged from a report into allegations of abuse and intimidation at the Merseyside MP’s constituency in Wallasey.
Several members have vehemently denied the claims Labour officials have recommended that the local party branch remains closed until next year.
Ms Eagle stated her intention to challenge Mr Corbyn as the next Labour leader but later withdrew against a backdrop of unsavoury incidents.
They included her constituency office windows being smashed just days after announcing her candidacy as well homophobic abuse at party meetings.
Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC) accepted the finding, after which Ms Eagle broke her silence on the matter.
She said: “I am proud to have been the Member of Parliament for Wallasey for 24 years and to have had a good relationship with most local Labour activists for all of that time.
“I am grateful that Jeremy took the unusual step of both attending and speaking in the meeting and that he expressed sincere sympathy for both me and for my staff.
“It is now clear and accepted by the NEC that homophobic abuse was perpetrated by some members of the local Party.
“I will simply not tolerate it, and I know I have the backing of both Jeremy and union leaders when I say that there is no place for it in the Labour movement either.
“As regards the vandalism of my office, I am grateful to both the internal investigators and the NEC for making clear both the facts of the matter and for the support of members up and down the country, including the Leader of the Labour Party, that such abuse both happened and is intolerable.”