Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP ever in the House of Commons, was suspended from the Labour Party a second time. This action comes after Brooks’ controversial statements about institutionalized racism. The suspension comes on the heels of Abbott’s defense of her previous statements. As she herself said, People of Colour experience racism “their entire lives,” and she definitely does not apologize for her remarks. Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner described Abbott’s comments as a “real challenge” for the party and emphasized that there is “no place for antisemitism” within Labour.
The uproar started when Abbott responded to her opinion in a Texpatriate open letter that appeared in the Observer in early 2023. In her exchanges, she declared that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “have no doubt suffered discrimination. However, she asserted that there must be a distinction between racism based on skin color and other forms of prejudice. This breaking of ranks unleashed overwhelming fury, resulting in her first expulsion after party head Keir Starmer described her comments as antisemitic.
That ongoing suspension stems from a different investigation and centers on Abbott’s defense of her comments made in the past. She unapologetically affirmed her faith in the existence of various forms of prejudice. She cautioned that these must not be conflated with racism rooted in skin color. Abbott asserted, “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.”
Speaking at a press conference on the steps of Hackney Town Hall on May 29, 2024, Abbott reflected on her deep disappointment. She said she was disappointed by this latest suspension. She looked back on the support she had back home during her first suspension. The vibrant rally that packed her constituency totally floored her — in the best possible way. “I got tremendous support locally. We culminated in a huge demonstration on the steps of Hackney Town Hall. As she put it, in the end Keir Starmer and his crew had to retreat. That was due in no small part to the fact that she had deep support from the local community.
Abbott’s constituency, Hackney North and Stoke Newington, has one of the most diamond-faceted Jewish communities in London. This tremendous diversity has made for heightened sensitivities around discussions of antisemitism. Angela Rayner’s remarks highlighted this context, emphasizing that Abbott’s defense of her comments was disappointing given Labour’s commitment to combating antisemitism.
Abbott’s strident views have been met with a mix of excitement and criticism inside the political establishment. Her defenders have pointed out that she has fought racism her entire career. Shami Chakrabarti commented on the situation, stating, “People who are writing [‘island of strangers’ speeches] should be a bit slow to sit in judgment on Diane Abbott, who has been fighting racism all her life.”
Abbott has himself complained about the racism and rejection of backbenchers endemic in the treatment of abolitionists within government ranks. Allowing MPs to raise their concerns on policy issues before taking disciplinary actions Ms.
John McDonnell raged against the party’s decision to suspend Abbott. He described it as “shockingly strange” that she was punished for standing up for her beliefs when other politicians who had made the same racially loaded comments in their speeches were not held accountable. Some Rachael Maskell also added her voice to the call – a sign that Keir Starmer may have got this one wrong on the detail.