Diane Abbott suspended from Labour after defending racism comments

Mother of the House Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party after defending her comments about racism.

Abbott, who represents Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was disciplined after writing a letter published in the Observer in April 2023 arguing that prejudice experienced by Jewish people is different to the racism experienced by people of colour.

Although she apologised at the time, she was suspended from the party before being readmitted to Labour just before the general election.

However, on a BBC Radio 4 programme broadcast today, Abbott said that she stood by the argument she made in the letter.

She said: “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.

“I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism. I don’t know why people would say that.”

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: “Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.”

Abbott was the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons and is the longest serving female MP, being first elected in 1987.

It comes after four other Labour MPs were suspended from the party over party discipline.

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