Diane Abbott has been suspended by the Labour Party over her claiming she stood by a controversial letter she wrote in 2023 comparing different types of racism based on colour.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.”
The move means the whip is automatically suspended in the House of Commons for the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, it is understood.
Ms Abbott was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party in 2023 after writing a letter to The Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that seen by other groups.
She apologised for any anguish caused by the remarks, which drew criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups, and was readmitted to the party before the 2024 general election.
But speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Reflections on Thursday, she said she did not look back on the incident with regret.
Ms Abbott told the programme: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism, which is about colour, and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.
“I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism, which is about skin colour, is the same as other types of racism.
“I don’t know why people would say that.”
She apologised for any anguish caused by the remarks that drew criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups.
The suspension comes less than 24 hours after the suspension of four left-wing rebels as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to reassert his authority.
The mother of the House, as the longest-serving female MP in the Commons, having entered Parliament in 1987, said she got a “bit weary” about people labelling her antisemitic and said she had “spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds”.
She said she was “grateful” to be a Labour MP but was sure the party leadership had been “trying to get me out”.
Ms Abbott is a close ally of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now an independent MP having been expelled from the party. He is currently setting up a new party with another former Labour rebel, Zarah Sultana.
Ms Abbott served as Mr Corbyn’s shadow home secretary and has been a noted anti-racism campaigner.
However, she became embroiled in antisemitism allegations over her attitudes to Israel, an issue which has split the party.
One ally, Shami Chakrabarti, questioned whether the current Labour leadership, which has been accused of using the language of right-wing former Tory MP Enoch Powell over immigration, is fit to pass judgement on Ms Abbott.
She said: “People who are writing island of strangers speeches should be a bit slow to sit in judgement on Diane Abbott, who has been fighting racism all her life.”
Another ally, journalist Owen Jones, posted: “It is absolutely absurd that Diane Abbott was suspended for this. She’s describing the lived experience of anti-Black racism. She wasn’t saying Jewish people and Travellers don’t experience racism. She’s saying that racism takes different forms.”
The Independent has contacted Ms Abbott for comment.
