We have previously called out the glaring disparity in the Party’s treatment of Ms Abbott when compared to the approach taken with Steve Reed, the Labour (Co-op) MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  In 2020, Mr Reed called a Jewish businessman a “puppet master”, which is a well-known antisemitic trope.  Mr Reed later apologised for his remarks, but no action was taken and the whip was not withdrawn.  In that same year, Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield was forced to apologise for posting a tweet saying there had been a “run on silver shekels” after two Jewish businessmen missed out on peerages. Again, no action was taken and the Labour whip was not withdrawn. 

In 2020, Sir Keir Starmer took the knee in solidarity with ‘all those opposing anti-Black racism’.  Today we are faced with a political party where anti-Black racism has been allowed to flourish under his leadership.  The findings and recommendations of the Forde Report have been ignored.  A culture of fear has been created in which Black MPs and local councillors are fearful of speaking out in case they are blocked from progressing their political careers or are simply ousted with no recourse to an independent and fair appeal process.  

We believe that the intervention by Labour HQ in Ms Abbott’s constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, is both racially motivated and factional.  Democratically elected leaders have been usurped and the Labour leadership appears to be orchestrating a ’political lynching’ of the UK’s first Black female MP.  Neither Sir Keir Starmer, David Evans (General Secretary) nor Alan Campbell (Chief Whip) can tell us what they are investigating or indeed, why.  We strongly support Ms Abbott’s claim that the investigation and the process surrounding it is ‘fraudulent’.

Proposals to abolish minimum standards for the representation of equality groups signals an alarming and shameless assault on Black, Asian, Muslim, ethnic minority, LGBTQ+ and disabled members.  If approved by Conference this weekend, it will further entrench the sidelining of Black members and other minoritised communities within the Party.  

The whip must be restored to Diane Abbott and the democratic rights of the members in her constituency must be upheld.  We call on those who oppose all forms of racism to unite rather than engage in factional manoeuvres. 

The Labour Party is nothing without its members.  Unity across the labour and trade union movement is essential if we are to defeat the rise of anti-Black racism and anti-democratic attempts to erode the rights of members, the right to speak and the right to debate.   

#HandsOffDiane | #ReinstateDiane | #IStandWithDiane