Who is Stella Creasy? Labour MP targeted by anti-air strike protesters ahead of Syria vote

Labour MP Stella Creasy has been subject to protests by by anti-air strike demonstrators ahead of the vote on Syria, including a march which allegedly passed her private home in east London.

Around 500 people marched along a route from a local mosque in Walthamstow to her constituency office to protest against military action in Syria. Creasy, who has faced threats of deselection to attempt to replace her with MPs closer to the party's left, has said she has not made a decision on whether she will vote in favour of air strikes. The MP is one of around 80 members of Parliament who have yet to decide how to vote on the motion later today.

There is confusion as to whether the protesters targeted Creasy's private residence, but the claims have led to outrage that a female MP should be exclusively targeted in this way.

One demonstrator posted a picture of the march on Facebook on Tuesday night (December 1), with the caption: "Outside Labour MP, Stella Creasy's house in Walthamstow tonight." The user later edited the post to add: "Apparently she has still to make up her mind - and she has no children to upset."

Creasy, who stood for the party's deputy leadership in the summer but lost, has voted on the UK engaging in military action three times. She last voted in favour of air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq in September 2014, telling local east London newspaper Guardian Series she believes the current action is supporting Iraqis to address the threat of IS.

"The air strikes, combined with action by Kurdish ground troops, stopped the advance of Daesh and has now seen them removed from Sinjar, where the liberating forces have discovered mass graves of their victims," she said.

According to the paper, her decision on air strikes in Syria will be based on "multiple issues" including how humanitarian crises will be responded to. She said she was considering the vote after receiving mixed views from residents.

Prior to her election in 2010, she worked as deputy director of the thinktank Involve and as head of campaigns at the Scout Association. She hold a PhD in social psychology from the London School of Economics.

In 2010, Creasy was selected from an all-female shortlist as the Labour party candidate for Walthamstow and was elected to parliament in the general election. She was the shadow minister for business, innovation and skills from October 2013 until September 2015.

The Walthamstow MP has campaigned extensively for women's rights and has spoken out against the gender pay gap, violence against women and the glass ceiling for women in business. She has also campaigned for better regulation of payday loans companies.