Ocado has issued an apology to Mumsnet over comments suggesting that the parenting website held “hateful political views”.

Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said that when the internet forum issued a call to clarify the definition of sex in the Equality Act in its 2024 manifesto, the online supermarket “abruptly pulled out” of a commercial partnership.

In a post on the site, Roberts explained: “Despite repeated attempts to explain our position – as a platform committed to amplifying women’s voices – they’ve refused to speak to us ever since”.

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Mumsnet had previously seen a number of advertisers pulling away from partnerships over discussions of gender issues on the website and after it had called for the Equality Act to be reformed “to ensure women can access single-sex places”, BBC News reported.

In response to an X (formerly Twitter) post, which saw one user slamming the online grocer, Ocado said the comments were made by a “temporary contractor who is no longer with the business”.

It said: “We apologise unreservedly to Mumsnet”, adding that the comments are “not representative of us as a company”.