Sun columnist sorry for 'poor joke' about blind Labour transgender candidate

Sun columnist Rod Liddle has apologised for comments he made in the newspaper about Labour transgender candidate Emily Brothers, saying he was sorry for "the poor joke".

The Sun and Mr Liddle had come under fire for comments he made about the Sutton and Cheam candidate in a column published in the paper on December 10.

In a statement released today, Mr Liddle said: "I wish Emily the very best and I'd definitely vote for her if I lived in Sutton and Cheam.

"I am sorry for the poor joke!"

It comes after the London Labour Party called for an apology over the "vile comments".

The party tweeted a copy of the column saying they were "immensely proud" of Ms Brothers, who lost her sight as a child.

Dylan Sharpe, head of PR at the Sun, tweeted that Mr Liddle's comments were not the view of newspaper.

"It's from Rod Liddle's column, where he gives his opinion. It is not the view of The Sun newspaper," Mr Sharpe tweeted.