Racism and misogyny are putting women off entering politics, Diane Abbott warns

Women and minority groups may be put off from entering politics because of the appalling level of abuse directed at some MPs, Diane Abbott has said.

The shadow home secretary said she was speaking out in more detail following the “perfect storm” of events last week when she was under scrutiny over her Brexit vote in the Commons.

“Parliament and the parliamentary Labour party were roiled by the vote on Brexit. There were journalists outside my house on a daily basis; a Tory councillor was suspended for retweeting an image of me as an ape with lipstick. And accompanying it all, a crescendo of blatantly racist and sexist abuse online,” she said

“Then, just when I thought the worst was over, there was horrible coverage in a Sunday tabloid of a misogynist text exchange about me sent by a cabinet minister.”

She used the Guardian article to makes clear that it is not how she is “treated as an individual” that concerns her, but rather that she “went into politics to create a space for women and other groups who have historically been treated unfairly.”

“Once, the pushback was against the actual arguments for equality and social progress. Now the pushback is the politics of personal destruction.”

“Not only does it tend to marginalise the female “offender”, but other women look at how those of us in the public space are treated and think twice about speaking up publicly, let alone getting involved in political activity.”

Speaking of her own dreadful experiences, she wrote: “I receive racist and sexist abuse online on a daily basis. I have had rape threats, death threats, and am referred to routinely as a bitch and/or nigger, and am sent horrible images on Twitter. The death threats include an EDL-affiliated account with the tag “burn Diane Abbott”.