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Veteran left-wing MP Diane Abbott has vowed to stay in Parliament “for as long as I can”, and hinted she may stand against Labour in the election.
The Labour party is embroiled in confusion over the MP’s future after plans to force him out of the House of Commons failed.
Leaders on the party’s left wing have accused Sir Keir Starmer of wrongdoing over the debacle and Labour MPs say he should be allowed to stand for re-election.
“I am committed to remaining the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington for as long as I am able to,” Mr Abbott told supporters at a rally in his constituency on Wednesday evening, adding that he would not be “intimidated” by criticism.
The declaration raises the possibility that she will stand for re-election against her own party, as well as her ally Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Abbott was sacked as Labour’s leader last year after writing a letter downplaying the seriousness of anti-Semitism and for which he apologised.
She was asked to undertake anti-racism training a few months ago after allegedly bringing the party into disrepute, and she regained her party whip on Tuesday.
It was reported this week that Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has decided that she cannot stand as the party’s candidate in the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency in July’s general election.
“I am extremely disappointed by the numerous reports that I have been barred from running,” Abbott said.
But Sir Keir, who has pushed for a promise to tackle the NHS backlog, said on Wednesday: “No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott. The process that we were going through was recently completed with the reinstatement of the Leadership Team, so she is a Labour MP and no decision has been taken.” [about] Ban her.”
Labour declined to comment on when the NEC would make a final decision on her future.
Party officials had hoped that Abbott would rejoin the party once she announced she would not run for re-election, allowing her to end her 37-year career in Congress, where she was the first black woman to do so, with dignity.
Her friends had suggested that such a deal would be acceptable. I Sir Keir understood this and his aides said he did not want to be treated in the same way as Mr Corbyn, who had been expelled from the Labour party and was running as an independent.
However, after a party official leaked the information, Times It was expected that Abbott’s plan would be thwarted, which led to its failure and left the leadership searching for a solution.
Shadow Chancellor Darren Jones was forced to deny claims that a hastily announced press conference on the Conservatives’ tax reform proposals was organised to divert attention from the controversy, insisting: “This is not a reaction to current events. We worked on this yesterday and I am very pleased to be able to announce it to you this afternoon.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting admitted he was “not happy” with the way the issue had been handled.
Several MPs and six leading Labour union supporters called for Ms Abbott to be reinstated, with Left leader Beth Winter saying “the way she has been treated is vindictive, partisan and cruel”.
Jess Phillips, seen as more centrist, added: “Overall, it’s not enlightening.”
Rishi Sunak said: “Labour has been telling everyone that the investigation into Diane Abbott is ongoing, but it appears to have finished months ago, so what’s really about is bringing this all to light and being transparent about what happened and when.”
write IBaroness Warsi, a Conservative peer, said Mr Abbott was an “icon” to her and that his treatment of her over the past year had been “unjustified and vindictive”.
Meanwhile, another Labour left-wing MP, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, also announced on Wednesday that he had been blocked from standing in the election following complaints about his behaviour.
He claimed the interference was “false allegations designed to disrupt this election”. A party spokesman said: “Labour takes all complaints extremely seriously and investigates them thoroughly in line with our party rules and procedures.”
Jeremy Corbyn also began his campaign as an independent in Islington North, saying he would be “an independent voice for equality, democracy and peace”. He told campaigners he would push for policies such as rent control, nationalisation of water and energy and an end to the two-child benefit cap if re-elected.
Voters criticise Labour’s handling of Abbott’s administration
Cathy Chen
Residents of Diane Abbott’s Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency have slammed Labour’s response to questions about her future.
One voter said: I“I feel like this has become a really bad mess so early in the campaign. They need to resolve this. It sounds like they were caught a little bit off guard, but they need to resolve this quickly. I think this has been badly managed.”
Another added: “I think they’re feeling the pressure. Labour are so confident they’ll win but are so scared of being questioned that they have to remove anyone with even the slightest bit of doubt. This is completely ridiculous. I don’t understand how anyone can see this in a positive way. It’s so frustrating.”
Some said they would consider voting if Mr Abbott ran as an independent against Labor, while others urged him to stand down, with one resident saying: “If I were her, she’s done 40 years in office so she should just retire gracefully and give up.”
She has represented the North London constituency since 1987 and has been re-elected by large margins each time, only once receiving less than 50% of the vote.