All posts tagged: Diane Abbott

Labour civil war as Diane Abbott slams Keir Starmer’s ‘poor judgement’ on winter fuel cuts | Politics | News

Labour civil war as Diane Abbott slams Keir Starmer’s ‘poor judgement’ on winter fuel cuts | Politics | News

Published by Sam

Labour’s Diane Abbott has lashed out at party leader Sir Keir Starmer live on television as she berated his “poor judgement” in accepting freebies and cutting winter fuel payments. The Hackney North MP has a chequered past with the Prime Minister after she had the Labour whip withdrawn over an “offensive” suggestion that “Jews don’t suffer racism”. The whip was restored before the General Election, but only after months of uncertainty about her future. Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, stand-in host Victoria Derbyshire asked Ms Abbott how she thought Labour and the PM were doing so far. She went on to say: “Maybe if he’d done more doorknocking for the Labour Party, he didn’t understand that of all the people to take money off, not pensioners. “Pensioners don’t forgive and forget and they’re one of the blocks of voters who actually do vote – and he didn’t seem to get it that that would be a problem. “People are still coming up to my colleagues in other parts of the country in …

The Tories Have Accepted Another £5 Million From Donor Who Said Diane Abbott ‘Should Be Shot’

The Tories Have Accepted Another £5 Million From Donor Who Said Diane Abbott ‘Should Be Shot’

Published by Sam

The Tories have accepted another £5 million from a businessman who said Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”, it has been confirmed. Figures released this morning by the Electoral Commission showed the payments from Frank Hester’s company, the Phoenix Partnership, in January. Hester also gave the party £10m last year, making him the Conservatives’ biggest donor. The Guardian reported in March that Hester had made the comments in 2019. After ministers initially refused to condemn him, a No10 spokesman eventually said in a statement: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong.” The revelation that the Tories accepted a further £5 million from the businessman has re-ignited calls for them to hand back all of the money he has given them. Diane Abbott said the latest Hester donation was “an insult to me and all black women”. Rishi Sunak belatedly admitted Frank Hester’s remarks that “I made him hate all black woman and should be shot” were racist. Now it turns out Sunak accepted …

Has there been a purge of the left wing of the Labour party? – podcast | News

Has there been a purge of the left wing of the Labour party? – podcast | News

Published by skeptic

It’s been a torrid week for Labour. Back in April 2023, Diane Abbott, the first black woman to be elected to the UK parliament, was suspended from the party in a row over antisemitism. In the last few days a furore over whether she would or wouldn’t be reinstated, and would or wouldn’t be allowed to stand for re-election, reached boiling point. At the same time, Faiza Shaheen, who had already started campaigning in Chingford and Woodford Green, was told she had been deselected. She said she had apologised for liking a tweet that played into an antisemitic trope, and believed she had done it mistakenly, but had been told her candidacy was being blocked. Helen Pidd hears how the pair are far from the only left-leaning MPs worried about their political future. Aletha Adu was on the campaign trail with Keir Starmer in Bury, Greater Manchester to hear how he was dealing with claims he was trying to undertake a purge of leftwing candidates. Aditya Chakrabotty explains how some of Starmer’s allies have had …

Diane Abbott Confirms She Plans To Run As A Labour Candidate

Diane Abbott Confirms She Plans To Run As A Labour Candidate

Published by Sam

Diane Abbott has just confirmed that she intends to run as a Labour candidate at the general election. The veteran MP, first elected in 1987, has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks over whether or not she would run for Keir Starmer’s party. In a social media post on Sunday, Abbott said: “I intend to run and to win as Labour’s candidate.” While she had the Labour whip returned to her last week – after 13 months of suspension – there were also reports she would be still banned from standing in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington. This sparked uproar from Abbott’s supporters. At a rally arranged in her honour earlier this week, she told backers that Labour “just want me excluded from parliament”. Starmer initially side-stepped questions about her candidacy. However, when his deputy Angela Rayner said Abbott should be allowed to stand, he U-turned. The Labour leader said the veteran MP was “free” to represent his party at the polls on Friday. Over the weekend, there were …

Balls Slams Labour For Welcoming Elphicke – And Not Diane Abbott

Balls Slams Labour For Welcoming Elphicke – And Not Diane Abbott

Published by skeptic

Ed Balls called out Labour for welcoming an ex-Tory MP to its ranks yesterday while parliamentary veteran Diane Abbott still sits as an independent. Natalie Elphicke, known for sitting on the right of the Conservatives, stunned Westminster when she defected to Keir Starmer’s party yesterday. Although she has regularly slammed Labour’s own immigration policies, she accused Rishi Sunak of “failing to keep our borders safe” in her defection letter. Meanwhile, Abbott is still sitting as an independent MP, having lost the whip in April 2023 over a controversial letter to The Observer. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, co-presenter Balls – and former Labour shadow chancellor – questioned the party’s approach during an interview with Labour frontbencher Anneliese Dodds. He said: “Diane Abbott, the longest-serving Black member of parliament – who is a woman – in our country’s history, is currently not a Labour MP in the House of Commons, because you are keeping her out of the party. “How come Natalie Elphicke is an acceptable face for Labour in the House of Commons and Diane …