A Tory MP has been reported to the police for sharing a Twitter post that described a Green Party candidate as a 'man who wears a wig'.

Rachel MacLean has been savagely attacked by online activists after the incident but says she is standing up for women and girls.

The Green Party has received criticism for its candidate, Melissa Poulton, who is male and stood for the Conservatives at a previous election.

Poulson self-describes as a "proud lesbian", a "queer woman", and a "woman with transgender experience".

The Green Party candidate only began to transition last year. Defending her comments, Ms MacLean said:

'Everyone should be free to live their lives and fulfil their potential regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

"As deputy chair for women, I am clear that the law allows me to say what a woman is and the difference between a woman and a trans woman."

She added that she does not "apologise for my comments relating to the Green Party's extreme policies on gender and self ID ideology".

West Mercia Police said the original post on X, formerly Twitter, had been reported, but the force was not treating it as a crime.