Eddie Izzard has told people to “join the 21st century” after the MP for Canterbury and Whitstable made “transphobic” comments about the comedian.

The 60-year-old launched her bid this month to become Sheffield Central’s Labour MP after the constituency’s incumbent, Paul Blomfield, announced he would be standing down at the next general election.

The transgender comedian announced two years ago the decision to use 'she/her' pronouns.

But Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield railed against the idea of 'gender self-identification', speaking out at a conference of the LGB Alliance - a campaign group that claims to advance lesbian, gay and bisexual rights.

Speaking to the PA news agency today, Eddie Izzard said she has been getting “a great reaction in the street” during her campaign but a small minority of people have made transphobic comments.

It comes after Rosie Duffield was asked about the possibility of misgendering someone becoming a hate crime.

The 51-year-old said: "Is that a serious thing? Is that coming to Parliament any time soon? I hope not because you might as well arrest me now. I'm not calling Eddie Izzard a woman."

In response, Izzard said: “Some people aren’t up to speed, some people haven’t joined the 21st century and, well, they’ve got to get on the bus now because I’ve been out for so long now that I don’t know why they didn’t bring this up before.

“It’s different now that I’m going for a parliamentary seat, but I don’t think bullying is a great thing to be happening and so I’m just going to carry on.”

Addressing Ms Duffield’s comments directly, she said: “Transphobic attitudes come from all different quarters, unfortunately.”

She added that the Labour MP’s comments did not make her feel unwelcome to run as a candidate for the party, but added: “Again, join the 21st century – trans people exist. I exist.”

'Some people aren’t up to speed, some people haven’t joined the 21st century...'

Izzard said she hopes being elected will have a “positive impact” for diversity in Parliament and for Sheffield Central itself as she brings her global renown, activism and energy to the constituency.

“The fact that I’m trans is kind of by the by,” she said, adding that she “absolutely” thinks people should be focusing on her policies and vision for Sheffield Central.

On Labour’s election prospects, Izzard said new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could pose more of a threat and that the party needs to get behind leader Sir Keir Starmer.

“I think it’s going to be tougher for us rather than having Liz Truss in there, but it doesn’t matter,” she said.

“We’re at a certain place in the polls and we’ve got to carry on fighting, and I’m very passionate about getting Keir Starmer in.”

Izzard said she has supported “every Labour leader going”, before stressing the importance of uniting behind a leader to get into government.

“You have to support the leader – that is how it works in politics – and we’re a broad church,” she said.

“We need to be near left and further left – we might agree or disagree on some things but we’re heading in the same direction.”

Last month Ms Duffield said she would quit the party if Labour allowed the comic to stand for a seat on an all-woman shortlist.

Speaking during a Labour Women’s Declaration discussion group at the Labour Conference, she said: "I will not be a hypocrite and I won’t lie and I won’t say that a man is a woman. Eddie Izzard is not a woman.

"I’m absolutely not the only Labour woman MP who will leave the party if Eddie Izzard gets on to an all-women shortlist."

Ms Duffield has previously come under fire for her opposition to “male-bodied biological men” being allowed to self-identify as female in order to access women-only spaces such as prisons and domestic violence refuges.

Last year she responded by saying she is "not remotely transphobic".

Rosie Duffield's office has been approached for comment.