‘I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate’ – says UK black female MP, Diane Abbott

Britain’s first-ever black female Member of Parliament (MP), Diane Abbott, has been banned from standing as a Labour candidate in the general election.

Abbott, who was first elected to parliament for Labour in 1987 and, as the country’s longest serving black MP, disclosed this to BBC on Wednesday.

“Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate,” she said.

She had campaigned on issues such as racism, poverty and international affairs in her district in north east London, but was suspended more than a year ago for comments about Jews and racism.

Abbott, the long-standing MP for the London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday, months after an investigation into her comments on racism had concluded.

Labour withdrew the whip from Abbott in April 2023, after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experienced prejudice, but not racism.

However, the British media reported that Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had written to Abbott in December 2023 that it had concluded a probe into her comments.

Asked about the investigation finishing in December, Labour leader Keir Starmer told journalists on Tuesday.

“The process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact-finding exercise. It becomes a matter to be resolved by the National Executive Committee and they’ll do that in due course at the end,” Starmer said.

Starmer had previously said he could not get involved in the case.

BBC said with suggestions, the lifting of her suspension would allow her to leave politics with dignity.

Campaign group Momentum previously said restoring the whip to Abbott only to block her would be “outrageous.”

It said, “Following a farcical, factional process, she has had the whip restored. Her local party re-elected her unanimously. That should be the end of the matter.

“Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example as Britain’s first black woman MP.”