Labour is plunged into election turmoil over Diane Abbott (2024)

Sir Keir Starmer and his team are trying to dampen the fires of a major Labour election row today over moves by the party leadership to block veteran MP Diane Abbott and a slew of other leftwingers from standing on July 4.

Ms Abbott last night threatened to quit and join ally Jeremy Corbyn in running against Labour amid claims she was being prevented from running in a 'disturbing' purge of his former allies.

At the same time as the row over the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP broke a host of other leftwingers were also blocked from standing, including Brighton Kempdown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle.

In parallel a number of moderate allies of Sir Keir were parachuted into safe seats over the head of local members.

In front of around 200 supporters at a rally outside Hackney Town Hall last night, Ms Abbott vowed to stay on as an MP 'by any means possible' and accused the Labour party of wanting to 'exclude' her from Parliament.

Labour former frontbencher Jess Phillips and six unions affiliated with Labour - Aslef, TSSA, Unite, NUM, CWU and FBU - were among those who called for Ms Abbott to be allowed to stand.

The Tories kicked the bruise today, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt telling the BBC: 'If Keir Starmer can't deal with Diane Abbott, how on earth is he doing to deal with Vladimir Putin?'

Shadow Treasury minister Darren Jones this morning denied that she was being blocked from standing, but questioned on Sky News, refused to endorse her running for Labour again.

He later denied on Times Radio that there was a 'purge' going on, adding: 'There are many colleagues of mine in the Parliamentary Labour Party who would define themselves as being on the left who are endorsed Labour Party candidates standing in their constituency.

'All this is, is that because a snap election has been called, there were a number of outstanding issues with some MPs, obviously retiring MPs in some constituencies where we've needed to fill candidates at pace in order to hit the election timetable. And that's the process that's unfolding this week.'

Former party leader Mr Corbyn, speaking at a rally to launch his own independent election campaign in north London on Wednesday, said he was 'disturbed' by the way Ms Abbott has been treated.

Asked whether he believed Sir Keir was trying to purge the left of the Labour Party, he said: 'It looks like it.'

After a day of mass confusion over whether the 70-year-old had been barred from standing as a Labour MP for the July 4 general election, a defiant Ms Abbott declared last night: 'I am not going to allow myself to be intimidated.'

Ms Abbott, Britain's first black female MP, said she was 'shocked and alarmed' about her ban, adding: 'It is as if you are not allowed to be a Labour MP unless you are prepared to repeat everything the leader says.'

The left-wing veteran, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, was delivering an impassioned speech at a rally in her constituency.

Sir Keir's election campaign has been overshadowed by claims he is trying to purge the party's left, while members of his party called the internal chaos 'unedifying' and urged him to show Ms Abbott 'respect'.

The Labour leader had decided to readmit Ms Abbott as an MP on Tuesday, following a 13-month suspension for saying Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face racism 'all their lives'.

It later emerged the investigation had ended months ago and Ms Abbott claimed she was barred from standing as a Labour MP at the general election, something which Sir Keir later denied.

Reacting to the saga, Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told the Standard:'What I know, as someone who's known Diane well since 2005, is she's a trailblazer.'

He added:'So I think she's somebody who's done a huge amount for Hackney, for London, for our country, and so I think it's really important that she's given the respect she deserves.'

Labour sources told The Telegraph that Sir Keir's team restored the whip to give her a 'soft landing' so she could retire and 'go with grace'. But it ultimately backfired and left other MPs on the Left fearing they would be barred from standing as well.

In another twist to the saga, MP Mr Russell-Moyle said he has been suspended by the party over what he called a 'vexatious and politically motivated complaint' against him, and that he cannot stand under the Labour banner at the election.

Meanwhile, Faiza Shaheen, Labour's candidate for Chingford & Woodford Green in northeast London, said she was told Labour were pulling her candidacy for allegedly liking a series of tweets that downplayed anti-Semitism accusations an hour before she did an interview on Newsnight.

Ms Shaheen, who was yesterday out campaigning with her baby, told the programme:'Fourteen tweets since 2014, ten years, three of those were about the Green Party... me liking my friend's tweet before I joined the Labour party.

'One of them was about my experiences of Islamophobia in the party. Like how am I not allowed to talk about my experiences of Islamophobia and the double standards that I've seen, and that we see with Diane Abbott for instance?

'I'm just so shocked right now to be treated this badly after being such an active member of the party.'

Ms Abbott, Mr Russell-Moyle and Ms Shaheen are all on the left of the party. Ms Abbott later tweeted about Ms Shaheen's ban, writing: 'Appalling. Whose clever idea has it been to have a cull of left wingers?'

Mr Starmer is now facing anger from even his allies at Labour's treatment of Ms Abbott.

Shadow Health secretary Wes Streeting, who accompanied Sir Keir on the election train in the West Midlands on Wednesday, said he was not comfortable with the way the veteran MP was treated.

He said the probe into the remarks she made comparing Jewish people to the bullying of reheads had 'gone on for a very long time'.

Meanwhile Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, told Times Radio:I think that Diane should be allowed to stand... the delay has been unedifying. The whole thing has been unedifying.'

Martin Forde KC, a former adviser to Labour on its handling of anti-Semitism, described the situation as 'utterly shambolic' and said it would have a 'tremendous' impact on the Afro-Carribean vote.

Mr Forde said: 'I get WhatsApp messages, predominantly from professional black and Asian women, who are utterly dismayed by the way Ms Abbott has been treated.'

Lord Woolley of Woodford, a crossbench peer and founder of Operation Black Vote, told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'This is a very big moment, I would argue, for the Labour Party, and Diane, and Britain's black communities, and I think they have about 48 hours to get this right.

'I think they're in danger of not only disrespecting one of the most popular MPs in modern time, but also, if they get this disrespectfully wrong, it'll also be a slap in the face for Britain's African and Caribbean communities.'

Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid a probe into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April 2023. But it has emerged the investigation ended months ago.

Britain's first black female MP had the Labour whip restored yesterday, but initially appeared to confirm this morning that she had been banned from standing.

The situation descended into confusion again hours later when she posted on social media that she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' she would not be allowed to stand. Mr Starmer later told reporters that 'no decision has been taken to bar Ms Abbott'.

But after a chaotic afternoon in politics, Ms Abbott refuted this by telling a crowd of around supporters outside Hackney Town Hall last night: 'I was shocked to learn yesterday that I am going to be banned from running for the Labour Party.

'I have been selected by my local party members, many of whom are here today, but the national party is insisting that I be banned.' She said she was not given a reason for the ban, adding: 'They just want me excluded from parliament.

'So I am so shocked and so alarmed about what is going on because it is as if you are not allowed to be a Labour MP unless you are prepared to repeat everything the leader says.'

The Labour veteran vowed to fight on, telling her supporters:'You have always stood with me, in good times and bad. And I will always stand with you.I am not going to allow myself to be intimidated. I am going to be your MP for as long as I am allowed to.'

Ms Abbott's comments will deliver a stark warning to Labour that if they do not allow her to stand, she may continue to run as an independent.

Mr Starmer has already faced this with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is running as an independent in Islington North.

After reports emerged that Ms Abbott had been blocked from standing as a Labour MP, Mr Starmer insisted that was 'not true', telling reporters: 'No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott.

'The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so she's a member of the parliamentary Labour Party and no decision has been taken barring her.'

Rishi Sunak said Labour had to be 'transparent' about Ms Abbott's position. Tory chairman Richard Holden wrote to Sir Keir demanding answers about the process.

John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.'

He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful.

'Whoever is responsible for this should hang their head in shame.'

Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: 'Solidarity with Diane, undeniably a trailblazer & a hero of our movement.

'At a time when all our energy should be focussed on throwing the Tories out, this process looks nakedly factional.

'Diane should have the whip restored now so she can stand as Labour's candidate in the GE.'

Parliament was dissolved as of 00.01 on Thursday, meaning every House of Commons seat has become vacant and all MPs have stopped representing their constituencies.

Parties must nominate their General Election candidates by June 7.