Diane Abbott 'banned' from standing as Labour MP

Momentum deplores 'outrageous' treatment of veteran MP, but Keir Starmer says 'no decision has been taken'

Diane Abbott is pictured in Hackney Downs Park posing for photographs with campaign posters bearing the slogan "I stand with Diane".
Diane Abbott has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987
(Image credit: Thabo Jaiyesimi/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Diane Abbott has said she will not be allowed to run as a Labour candidate in the upcoming general election, hours after she was readmitted to the party following an investigation into alleged antisemitism.

The 70-year-old MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington confirmed in a statement that despite having the whip restored, she has been banned from running for the party, "bringing to an end a near 40-year career as one of the party’s highest-profile politicians", said The Guardian. She did not comment on the possibility of following in the footsteps of Jeremy Corbyn and running as an independent candidate.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.

With contributions from