Diane Abbott ‘to be banned from standing for Labour’ after race probe complete

Diane Abbott

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According to reports, Diane Abbott may be prohibited from running as a Labour candidate in the upcoming general election. This news has surfaced as it was revealed that the party's inquiry into her conduct was completed five months ago.

Diane Abbott - Figure 1
Photo The Independent

On Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer mentioned that the National Executive Committee of the party will make a choice regarding Ms Abbott, who is the longest-serving black MP, whether she can participate in the general election on 4 July as a representative of the party.

According to The Times, the leaders of the political party have come to a conclusion about the 70-year-old who was suspended in April for writing a letter indicating that Jewish individuals are not facing the same levels of racism as other minority groups.

Newly released information from Press Association reveals that the Labour whip was restored to her on Tuesday. However, anonymous insiders informed The Times that doing so would afford her the opportunity to exit politics "with grace" instead of remaining affiliated with the party for future election campaigns.

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Ms Abbott, who once served as the shadow home secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, expressed regret for her remarks and explained that the letter was still in its early stages.

Over a year later, Sir Keir stressed that an investigation into Ms Abbott was still underway and that he could not intervene in the matter.

However, according to a Newsnight segment, the scrutiny of Ms. Abbott was finished in December.

A formal caution was given to her for her behavior, and she had to finish a course on increasing awareness of antisemitism, which she finished in February.

Diane Abbott - Figure 2
Photo The Independent

According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to a BBC program, it is unclear whether Ms. Abbott has been given permission to run for the Labour Party in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the constituency in which she was elected in 1987.

According to the source, it was not anticipated that her suspension would be removed because the party had already decided on the outcome and was deliberately delaying the procedure to prevent her from participating as a candidate in the election.

On Tuesday evening, media reports seemed to verify this assertion. However, The Independent's request for confirmation from the party was declined.

Ms Abbott's letter, which resulted in her suspension as reported by The Observer, made an assertion that Jewish individuals do not experience the same amount of racial discrimination compared to certain other minority groups.

Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour party, alongside Harriet Harman, who is the longest-serving female MP in the House of Commons, are advocating for the reinstatement of a person into the party.

In case Ms Abbott's suspension is not removed before the 4th of June, she will have to retire or run independently against the political group she served for over thirty years.

If Labour reinstates the whip to Ms Abbott, it will be viewed as a gesture of goodwill towards left-wing MPs and supporters who have been criticizing the investigation into her as a fake.

Diane Abbott - Figure 3
Photo The Independent

However, this could lead to Sir Keir facing accusations of not adequately transforming the Labour Party from the era of Jeremy Corbyn, a legacy that the current Labour leader is determined to dissociate himself from.

In the past, she stated that the examination is a "fraud" and is being utilized to "intimidate" her.

During an interview with media outlets on Tuesday, Sir Keir expressed that the process as a whole may take some time, as it goes beyond simply gathering information. Nonetheless, he added that ultimately the issue at hand will need to be settled by the National Executive Committee, and they will handle it as appropriate.

Even though the inquiry into Ms Abbott concluded many months back, Sir Keir expressed in an LBC interview on Friday that the evidence was still "not definitively settled."

The leader of the Conservative Party, Richard Holden, declared that it is impossible to believe that the Labour Leader, Starmer, was not informed that the procedure had ended and a warning was given. He emphasized that there are no exceptions or excuses for this situation, and it should not be perceived as a change of opinion or a policy reversal.

There has been no suggestion from Ms Abbott that she plans to step down during the upcoming election.

A representative of the political organization Momentum that leans towards left-wing ideology expressed their dismay saying: "This piece of news is extremely offensive and confirms the actions of the Starmer leadership to push the UK's foremost black woman Member of Parliament out of office."

Keir Starmer has been consistently stating that the investigation is operating independently and therefore his involvement is non-existent. Unfortunately, newly unveiled information proves that Keir Starmer has not been telling the truth. The investigation wrapped up several months ago. Diane has continued to stay a member of the Labour party and the whip should have already been reinstated.

The representative urged Sir Keir to welcome Ms Abbott back into the Labour party and allow her to compete as a representative of the party in her constituency if she chooses to do so.

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