Starmer’s new trade envoy to New Zealand has quit social media blaming abuse from trolls over her gender, hair colour, clothes and glasses.

Carolyn Harris, who is MP for Swansea East, is saying goodbye to X – formerly Twitter – after footage in which she appeared to fall asleep in parliament re-circulated online.

In a statement to her 35,000 followers, she said: ‘In recent months, I have been monitoring this platform and have been criticised not for my work, my views or my actions but for my gender the colour of my hair, glasses and even my choice of clothing.’

She concluded: ‘As of today, I will no longer be monitoring this account.’

Comments on the post have been switched off but that has not stopped some users from re-posting and sharing their thoughts.

Author Peter Lloyd said: ‘Labour MP Carolyn Harris has announced she’s leaving X.

‘How will we cope without her astute, keenly-observed musings on the world?’ 

He accompanied this with the infamous image of Ms Harris ‘asleep’ first circulated in 2021.

But another user stated: ‘It is a shame that Carolyn Harris feels she must leave X. Abuse is unacceptable.’ 

Four years ago the Welsh MP said the capture from Prime Ministers Questions had ‘opened the floodgates’ to ‘relentless abuse’.

She said someone had even shouted at her at her front door, saying ‘did you enjoy your snooze?’.

But the Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour explained: ‘I categorically did not – and would never – go to sleep during any session in work.’

Ms Harris is chair of UK Menopause Taskforce and has previously called on government to introduce ‘national formulary’ so medications can be prescribed ‘across the country’.

She served as Shadow Minister for Safeguarding and Vulnerability from 2016 to 2017, and a junior Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities from 2017 to 2020.

Sir Keir Starmer named a slew of parliamentarians as the UK’s new trade envoys earlier this week – but questions were immediately asked about some of his appointments.

A cross-party group of 32 MPs and peers were announced to be joining the trade envoy programme.

They will cover 79 markets across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas, and have been tasked with drumming up new investment into Britain.

Among those appointed by the Department for Business and Trade was Labour’s Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, who is trade envoy to East Africa.

In 2020, Ms Osamor was ordered to apologise to the House of Commons after telling a journalist: ‘I should have come down here with a f****** bat and smashed your face open’.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: ‘Trade and investment are key to delivering economic growth, the number one mission of this Government and a key part of our Plan for Change.

‘That’s why I’ve launched a new team of Trade Envoys, who will use their experience, expertise and knowledge to unlock new markets around the world for British businesses, drumming up investment into the UK and ultimately driving economic growth.’