Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party for a second time after she defended past remarks about racism, prompting an investigation. The veteran MP, the first black woman elected to parliament, said she did not regret comments made in a 2023 letter to the Observer, in which she argued that people of colour experience racism 'all their lives', which differs from the 'prejudice' faced by Jewish, Irish and Traveller people.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight on Thursday, Abbott stated: 'It is obvious this Labour leadership wants me out. My comments in the interview … were factually correct, as any fair-minded person would accept.' Earlier that day, she had told the BBC: 'Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.'
The suspension came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to assert discipline, having also suspended the whip from four Labour MPs who repeatedly voted against the government, including on welfare reform. Starmer said the suspensions were not about a single vote but 'repeatedly breaking the whip' and undermining Labour's manifesto commitments. He insisted he would not be 'deflected' from his reform agenda.
Labour sources indicated the decision to suspend Abbott was swift, and that she was not offered an opportunity to retract her remarks this time. The move drew criticism from left-wing figures. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell called it 'extremely bizarre', noting that Abbott had condemned antisemitism and racism, while no action was taken against those who inserted Enoch Powell's racist language into Starmer's recent speech.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner expressed disappointment that Abbott had defended the comments, stating there was 'no place for antisemitism' within Labour. Abbott first made the remarks in a 2023 letter to the Observer, for which she apologised and was suspended. She was readmitted after an investigation in time to stand in the general election.
