Abbott Accuses Keir Starmer Of Forcing Her Out

Diane Abbott accused Keir Starmer of attempting to expel her from the Labour Party, reinforcing her assertion that anti-Semitism is less severe than anti-Black racism.

The veteran leftwinger, 71, was suspended last night for claiming in a BBC interview that prejudice encountered by Jews was not on par with colour-based discrimination, the second time she has lost the whip for the controversial statement.

She previously made an apology in 2023 after writing to the Observer to say that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism in the way that people of colour do.

Following her suspension, Ms Abbott issued a statement to Newsnight insisting what she said had been ‘factually accurate’, adding: ‘It is obvious this Labour leadership wants me out.’

The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, who is Mother of the House as the longest-serving female MP, was the fifth Labour MP to lose the whip this week as Sir Keir attempts to infuse discipline into his fractious party.

Due to their repeated protests over welfare cuts and other issues, four more people were suspended on Wednesday.

And the decision to investigate Ms Abbott as well prompted allies to attack the leadership. One MP told Politico that Starmer loyalists were acting like ‘Billy Big-B*llocks’ and had wanted 40 MPs to be removed, and another said they agreed with her comments.

However, Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and a leading figure in the party’s left wing, criticised Ms Abbott last night.

She told the Guardian she was ‘disappointed, saying: ‘Diane had reflected on how she’d put that [2023] article together, and said that ”was not supposed to be the version”, and now to double down and say: ”Well, actually I didn’t mean that. I actually meant what I originally said,” I think is a real challenge.’ 

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said it was ‘absolutely not the case’ that Number 10 had wanted to remove the whip.

‘What’s happened is Diane has made some comments which come on the back of previous comments which she made and for which she apologised some time ago,’ he told Times Radio.

He added that there was an internal investigation, and ‘we now need to let this process play out’ so it can be resolved ‘as swiftly as possible.’

The initial comments in 2023 were in a letter to The Observer newspaper, and she withdrew the remarks the same day and apologised ‘for any anguish caused’.

In the interview with BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme, she was asked whether she looked back on the incident with regret.

‘No, not at all,’ 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.

‘You don’t know unless you stop to speak to them or you’re in a meeting with them.

‘But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re black. There are different types of racism.’

She added: ‘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.’

Ms Abbott joined Parliament in 1987 and has the honorary title of Mother of the House.

Her suspension coincides with Sir Keir’s purge of unruly backbenchers after a rebellion over planned welfare reforms in which the government made significant concessions to the rebels.

Rachael Maskell, who spearheaded plans to stop the Government’s Bill, had the whip suspended alongside Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff.

Party sources said the decision to suspend the whip was taken as a result of persistent breaches of discipline rather than a single rebellion.

Simply, a racist doesn’t like to be called a racist, and Diane Abbott loves creating barriers, not removing them.

I must admit that I am fed up with their deceitful falsehoods and double standards. They are not as flawless as they portray themselves to be, and they’re all as crooked as an 8-pound note.

How did this woman end up as a Member of Parliament?

She obviously dislikes the UK, so maybe she should relocate elsewhere. Can she take Starmer with her, please?

The ignorance of this woman knows no bounds. The Holocaust ended only 80 years ago and was probably the single most heinous expression of racism ever, primarily against Jews, but not just Jews!

How much longer is this ageing political hack going to be MP?

Has she ever accomplished something worthwhile or constructive?  She just whines and complains, and it’s just proof that these lunatics are running the asylum.

Diane, Jews do experience a different form of racism from any other race. They have been the most oppressed race on earth for the last 2,000 years and are protected for good cause.

What they’ve experienced throughout their history is not comparable to anything else another race has suffered. Their history is much worse, and they have to fight to survive every day.

It’s amazing, those who frequently demand tolerance from others are not so tolerant themselves.

It’s blatantly evident that she enjoys or needs the attention. She’s a nobody with a standing for being a total clown. She’s also a hypocrite who advocated state schools and then sent her son to a private school, saying ‘That we all want the best for our children.’ You might want to Google her son – that went well, not!