Britain’s longest-serving female MP, Diane Abbott, has been re-suspended from the Labour Party after defending controversial remarks on racism that originally led to her 2023 suspension.
London —
Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott, the first Black woman elected to the UK Parliament and one of the most recognizable figures in British left-wing politics, has been re-suspended by the Labour Party, according to Reuters. The move comes just weeks after she was readmitted following a previous suspension over controversial comments on antisemitism.
The Labour Party announced Thursday that Abbott had been “administratively suspended pending an investigation” after she reaffirmed her earlier views during a BBC Radio interview.
Abbott originally faced backlash in 2023 when she wrote that the prejudice faced by Jewish, Irish, and Traveller communities was “similar to but not the same as racism.” She later apologized and retracted those remarks amid internal party pressure and was readmitted to Labour in June 2024, ahead of the general election.
However, when asked on Thursday whether she regretted the 2023 comments, Abbott responded: “No, not at all.” She elaborated, stating:
“Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about color and other types of racism. You can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street—you don’t know. But if you see a Black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re Black. They are different types of racism.”
The Labour Party swiftly responded, reactivating disciplinary proceedings amid heightened scrutiny of its internal handling of antisemitism—an issue that has shadowed the party since the tenure of former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Abbott has been no stranger to controversy. In 2018, she sparked outrage after posting a doctored image of an Israeli warplane bombing Tehran, intending to criticize Western military strikes in Syria. And in 2014, she appeared at an anti-Israel rally, where she was introduced as a “great friend of Palestine” and a staunch opponent of the “illegal occupation.”
Abbott’s re-suspension comes amid Labour leader Keir Starmer’s efforts to distance the party from its recent past, especially under Corbyn, when Labour was repeatedly accused of harboring and ignoring antisemitism within its ranks. An official report later found that the party leadership under Corbyn had minimized or mishandled antisemitism complaints, and in some instances, interfered to shield political allies.
Corbyn was eventually suspended from Labour, and his leadership culminated in the party’s worst electoral defeat since 1935.
Since assuming leadership, Starmer has pledged zero tolerance for antisemitism, overseeing the suspension of dozens of Labour members, including four MPs just this week.
Abbott, 71, remains a towering figure in British political history, but her future in the Labour Party appears uncertain as the party continues to navigate its commitment to inclusivity, accountability, and trust.
