Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party

Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.

A enactment spokesperson confirmed the determination to Sky News but did not springiness a crushed why.

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It comes aft the seasoned MP defended erstwhile comments astir racism which sparked an antisemitism enactment and led to a year-long suspension.

She apologised astatine the clip and was readmitted backmost into the enactment earlier the 2024 wide election.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot remark further portion this probe is ongoing."

Sky News understands that the suspension is not related to the 4 rebels who mislaid the whip connected Wednesday for "repeated breaches" of enactment discipline, including voting against the government's payment cuts.

The enactment has been taken due to the fact that of an interrogation successful which she doubled down connected her assertion Jewish radical acquisition racism otherwise to achromatic people, which antecedently sparked a immense controversy.

In a missive to The Observer successful 2023, Ms Abbott argued that radical of colour experienced racism "all their lives" and said that was antithetic to the "prejudice" experienced by Jewish people, Irish radical and Travellers.

Shortly aft it was published, she issued a connection successful which she said she wished to "wholly and unreservedly retreat my remarks and disassociate myself from them".

However successful a caller interrogation with BBC Radio 4's Reflections programme this week, she said she did not look backmost connected the incidental with regret.

Ms Abbott said: "Clearly, determination indispensable beryllium a quality betwixt racism which is astir colour and different types of racism due to the fact that you tin spot a Traveller oregon a Jewish idiosyncratic walking down the street, you don't know.

"But if you spot a achromatic idiosyncratic walking down the street, you spot consecutive distant that they're black. They are antithetic types of racism."

She added: "I conscionable deliberation that it's silly to effort and assertion that racism which is astir tegument colour is the aforesaid arsenic different types of racism.

"I don't cognize wherefore radical would accidental that."

Ms Abbott has not commented connected the suspension straight but since the quality broke she has posted a video of the interrogation connected X.

The clip was re-posted by Brian Leishman, 1 of the MPs suspended connected Wednesday, who said: "Diane Abbott has fought against racism her full life."

Bell Riberio-Addy, who mislaid her relation arsenic commercialized envoy successful yesterday's purge, besides came to Ms Abbott's defence, saying: "Before condemning her based connected headlines, I would perceive to her clip and enactment she discussed the antithetic forms that racism takes and condemned each forms of racism."

Former shadiness chancellor John McDonnell made akin comments, saying that successful the interrogation his workfellow "forthrightly condemns antisemitism & discusses the antithetic forms of racism".

In the interview, Ms Abbott said she "of course" condemns antisemitic behaviour successful the aforesaid mode she would condemn racist behaviour due to the fact that of the colour of someone's skin, adding: "I bash get a spot weary of radical trying to pin the antisemitic statement connected maine due to the fact that I spent a beingness facing racism of each kinds."

Ms Abbott made past erstwhile she was elected arsenic Britain's archetypal achromatic pistillate MP for Labour successful 1987.

She is the longest-serving pistillate MP successful the Commons, giving her the rubric "Mother of the House".

As an MP connected the near of the enactment she has often clashed with the enactment passim her vocation - barroom her clip serving successful Jeremy Corbyn's shadiness cabinet.

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Many MPs rallied successful enactment of Ms Abbott past twelvemonth erstwhile it was not wide if she would beryllium reinstated successful clip for the wide election, oregon allowed to stand.

She went connected to clasp her spot of Hackney North and Stoke Newington with a bulk of implicit 15,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner hinted enactment could beryllium taken against Ms Abbott erstwhile she told The Guardian earlier connected Thursday that she was "disappointed" successful her colleague's remarks.

"There's nary spot for antisemitism successful the Labour Party, and evidently the Labour Party has processes for that," she said.

A root adjacent to the determination to suspend her told Sky News determination is simply a "very slim chance" she volition beryllium allowed backmost in, fixed she did antisemitism grooming and apologised past time.

It raises questions astir whether Ms Abbott could articulation the caller enactment being formed by Mr Corbyn and erstwhile Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

For the clip being, Ms Abbott volition beryllium successful the Commons arsenic an autarkic MP.

Adnan Hussain, who was elected arsenic the autarkic MP for Blackburn past year, said connected X: "We'd beryllium honoured to person a elephantine similar Diane articulation us, she [should] travel to the broadside that would truly admit her for the fable she is."