Diane Abbott 'banned' from standing as Labour MP
Momentum deplores 'outrageous' treatment of veteran MP, but Keir Starmer says 'no decision has been taken'

Rebecca Messina, The Week UK
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.
But Keir Starmer on a visit to the West Midlands today told the media: "No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so she's a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party, and no decision has been taken barring her."
The claim that Labour’s National Executive Committee had chosen not to endorse Abbott as a candidate was first reported by The Times on Tuesday evening, with the decision said to be "a precursor to allowing her to leave politics 'with dignity'".
A spokesman for Labour's left-wing Momentum group said the party's treatment of Abbott was "outrageous" and accused Keir Starmer's leadership of "trying to force Britain’s first black woman MP out of parliament".
Abbott was suspended from the party in April 2023 after writing a letter in The Observer that suggested Jewish people do not experience racism, but rather prejudice which she compared to that faced by "redheads". She apologised for the remark, but has been sitting as an independent while an official investigation was carried out.
The investigation concluded in December 2023, when Abbott was reportedly given a formal warning and "told to complete an 'antisemitism awareness course'" in February, said The Times. Her allies are said to have been "dismayed" that it took another three months for the whip to be restored.
While "the Labour left are in uproar" in the wake of the announcement, said Politico, "others in the party are more sanguine", seeing it as a necessary manoeuvre to support Starmer's claim the party has changed since the Antisemitism row which engulfed the party under Corbyn
There are three "credible" Labour candidates who could now stand in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the seat held by Abbott since 1987, said The Guardian: Anntoinette Bramble, the deputy mayor of Hackney council; Sem Moema, the London assembly member for North East; and Mete Coban, a Labour councillor for Stoke Newington.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Labour's brewing welfare rebellion
The Explainer Keir Starmer seems determined to press on with disability benefit cuts despite a "nightmare" revolt by his own MPs
-
Are free votes the best way to change British society?
Today's Big Question On 'conscience issues' like abortion and assisted dying, MPs are being left to make the most consequential social decisions without guidance
-
'The answer isn't to shake faith in the dollar'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Antisemitism: What a young couple's murder tells us
Feature A Jewish couple was hunted on the street in a hate crime disguised as a political protest
-
The Chagos Islands: Starmer's 'lousy deal'
Talking Point The PM's adherence to 'legalism' has given Mauritius a 'gift from British taxpayers'
-
Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?
Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
-
How the civil service works – and why critics say it needs reform
The Explainer Keir Starmer wants to 'rewire' Whitehall, which he has claimed is too 'comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline'
-
Brexit 'reset' deal: how will it work?
In Depth Keir Stamer says the deal is a 'win-win', but he faces claims that he has 'surrendered' to Brussels on fishing rights