A new MP who served her community for 13 years as a councilor says she has faced “extreme” hatred online since winning a seat in Parliament.

Satvir Kaur, former leader of Southampton City Council, has held public office since 2011.

In July’s general election she won the Test seat of Southampton, but Ms Kaur says she has since felt like she has “attracted all the misogynists, racists and haters” online.

She was speaking to BBC Radio Solent as part of its Hot Seat feature.

Host Louisa Hannan asked the Labor MP: “We know, unfortunately, that women in politics face a lot of abuse. Is that something you’ve encountered? I mean, I know it’s just the beginning.”

Ms Kaur responded by saying it had been “extreme” and that the racist abuse had been “constant, almost daily”.

“It’s a little more than I thought. I mean, you always get it when you’re in the public eye,” she said.

“As a politician, you suddenly become subhuman, when all you’re trying to do is make a positive difference in people’s lives.

“I understood it to some extent when I was a councilor and council leader, but I feel like since becoming an MP – especially online – I feel like I’ve attracted all the misogynists, and all the racists, and all the haters.”

But Ms Kaur said the hatred actually “encourages” her, adding: “I want other people from deprived areas and brown girls to feel like if I can do it, they can do it.”

She added that she has a zero-tolerance policy on her social media accounts: if anyone is abusive or makes personal comments, they are immediately blocked.

She explained: “Sometimes I bite, but I really try to make an effort not to respond and ignore him because I don’t want to give him airtime.

“I don’t want to spread hate, there’s enough hate. I talk to people on my doorstep and one of the things they’re really concerned about is hate crime and I don’t want to promote that .”