Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDiane Abbott was offered the Labour whip back but refused because she would have had to undergo antisemitism training, The Independent has been told.An investigation into the long-serving black MP has been ongoing since her suspension last April following an article she wrote about Jewish people, with pressure mounting on the party over why it has been taking so long.But sources from the left and right of the Labour Party have told The Independent that the investigation is dragging on in part because of Ms Abbott’s own refusal to compromise.The revelation comes as senior Labour figures have rallied around Ms Abbott in the wake of a racism row involving the Conservative Party’s biggest donor, who said the MP made him “hate all black women” and that she should be shot.Abbott had the whip suspended last April after writing a letter suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minoritiesShadow deputy leader Angela Rayner and mother of the House Harriet Harman are among those who have said they want her allowed back into the party.Ms Abbott had the whip suspended last April after writing a letter suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities.She immediately apologised and said the letter published in The Observer had been an “initial draft” sent by mistake.According to sources, Ms Abbott was offered the opportunity to have the whip restored if she offered a “more fulsome” apology and took an antisemitism awareness course. One said this led to her doing a “reverse ferret” after her initial apology, and said she would not apologise or undertake the requested training.“And that is why this has been going on for 10 months and not 25 minutes,” a shadow minister told The Independent. Another MP on the left of the party added: “I don’t know why she didn’t just do it.” Ms Abbott said “key aspects” of what The Independent was told were wrong, but did not offer any more detail: “I cannot disclose details of this process because, under Labour rules, that would be another disciplinary offence.” She also repeated a claim she has made previously that the Labour investigation is “fraudulent”. In her contested letter she stated that Jewish, Irish and traveller communities have experienced “prejudice”, but added: “This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable.”Ms Abbott had added: “It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism.”Angela Rayner said on Thursday she would like to see Abbott back in the Labour Party The investigation into Ms Abbott is ongoing, with Labour refusing to explain why it is taking so long or when it will be completed.Supporters of Ms Abbott, who was elected MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1987, believe the probe is being used to force her out at the next election. If her suspension remains in place when the election is called, Labour’s national executive committee will have to decide whether she can stand or to impose a new candidate.Another shadow minister told The Independent Ms Abbott was being “stubborn” and that the party was “desperate to do a deal with her”. The figure said the Labour leadership wants to bring her back into the parliamentary party as long as she agrees to “bow out gracefully” at the next general election, a compromise they believe will allow her to stand as a Labour MP “with her legacy intact”.Ms Abbott has given no indication that she intends to stand down at the next election.Pressure has been growing on Sir Keir Starmer to restore the whip after the alleged comments by the Tories’ biggest donor Frank Hester. Mr Hester, who is believed to have given the party £15m in the past year, said looking at Ms Abbott “makes you want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”, a Guardian investigation found.Labour leader Keir Starmer has dampened hopes of an imminent return to the party for Abbott Ms Rayner spoke out on Thursday in support of Ms Abbott, adding to calls from across the political spectrum: “Personally I would like to see Diane back. But the Labour Party has to follow its procedures… so it does not matter what I think.”Ms Harman has called for the investigation into the suspension to be sped up, admitting that the processes can sometimes be slow, while former shadow chancellor Ed Balls and Tony Blair’s former political secretary John McTernan called for Sir Keir to restore the whip.Ms Abbott told The Independent: “I cannot disclose details of this process because, under Labour rules, that would be another disciplinary offence. But your sources are wrong in key respects. Yet their claims also show that the investigation process is fraudulent. The Labour Party has used this sham in an effort to bully me.”She also implied on X/Twitter that she doesn’t think she will ever get the whip back, claiming Labour’s “real agenda” is to force her out.On Thursday, Sir Keir would not be drawn on whether or not Ms Abbott, who currently sits as an independent, could expect to become a Labour MP again, saying only that the 10-month investigation into her alleged antisemitic remarks was “not resolved”.The Labour leader said she was a trailblazer and described the language allegedly used by Mr Hester as “abhorrent”, but he told BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine that allowing the MP back into the party was an “entirely different issue”.“That was about allegations of antisemitism in relation to a letter… which is subject to an ongoing investigation, which is separate from me. That’s not something which I conduct.”Labour did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment. 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Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSadiq Khan has warned that new voter ID rules could prevent him from being re-elected as London mayor.In just six weeks, Londoners will head to the ballot box and vote for who they would like to see running the capital for the next four years.The latest YouGov/Mile End Institute Poll has Mr Khan with a substantial lead of 49 per cent compared to his closest rival, Conservative Susan Hall on 24 per cent.Despite the commanding lead, Mr Khan writes in The Independent that changes to the voting system to select the mayor and rules meaning you have to bring an approved form of ID to vote could scupper his chances of re-election on 2 May. In previous mayoral elections you would be able to get a first and second choice for mayor, however this time you will only get one vote.Mr Khan writes: “This means a vote for any party other than Labour only makes it more likely that Londoners end up with a Tory Mayor.”Londoners will head to the ballot box in just six weeks The London mayor also displayed concerns that new rules that mean voters have to bring photographic ID in order to cast their choice at the ballot box could also negatively impact his chances.He said: “New rules making it compulsory to have an approved form of ID – a deliberate attempt to reduce turnout – also puts the election on a knife-edge. “Analysis shows more than 900,000 Londoners – likely to include large numbers of young people and those from minority communities – might not have valid ID and will thus be barred from exercising their democratic right to vote. “At the last London Mayoral election, in 2021, I was less than five per cent ahead after the first round of voting. These are the finer margins we’ll now be dealing with.”Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall Mr Khan has urged supporters of rival progressive parties, such as the Green Party and Liberal Democrats, to back him to keep the Tories out of power in the capital.He added: “I am asking for their help so that we don’t wake up in six weeks’ time to find our city’s cherished values at serious risk with a hardline Conservative in City Hall.“I’ve always stood up for London’s open, outward-looking, pro-European and anti-racist values – as well as for climate science, women’s rights, our diversity, our LGBTQI+ community, and liberal democracy.Mr Khan went on to attack his main rival Ms Hall, claiming that she “supported a hard Brexit” and voted against his initiatives to deal with air pollution and climate change.He added: “We must protect the gains we’ve made and the modern, plural, inclusive outlook that makes London the greatest city in the world. “But to do that, I’m asking Lib Dems and Greens to lend me their votes, using their first and only choice at this election. This is the only way we can safeguard everything that makes London so special and continue building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNHS Dumfries and Galloway has been hit by a cyber attack, with the health board saying a “significant quantity” of data has been put at risk and services could potentially be disrupted.In a statement posted to its website on Friday, the board said the attack was “focused and ongoing” and the files accessed could include “patient-identifiable and staff-identifiable data”, with NHS workers and the public encouraged to “be on their guard”.The nature of the attack is currently unclear, but Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish Government is offering support to the board.The health board’s statement said: “NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been the target of a focused and ongoing cyber attack.“This prompted a swift response in line with our established protocols, working with partner agencies including Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Agency and the Scottish Government.There is a risk that hackers have been able to acquire a significant quantity of dataNHS Dumfries and Galloway“There may be some disruption to services as a result of this situation.“During these incursions into our systems, there is a risk that hackers have been able to acquire a significant quantity of data.“Work is continuing together with cyber security agencies to investigate what data may have been accessed, but we have reason to believe that this could include patient-identifiable and staff-identifiable data.“Breach of confidential data is an incredibly serious matter. We are encouraging everyone, staff and public, to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in possession of data relating to them.”Police Scotland confirmed the attack had taken place.Mr Gray said: “I am aware that NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been affected by an ongoing cyber attack.“Scottish Government officials have been in close contact with the board, Police Scotland and other partners. including the National Crime Agency and NHS National Services Scotland (NSS).“There are well established procedures for dealing with a situation of this kind. We are providing assistance and support to NHS Dumfries and Galloway as they handle this incident, and NHS NSS is engaging with the rest of NHS Scotland and providing updates as necessary.”A spokeswoman from the National Cyber Security Centre said: “We are working with law enforcement, NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government to fully understand the impact of an incident.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPressure continues to mount on the government to return a £10 million donation from business mogul Frank Hester following the resurfacing of racist and sexist remarks targeting Diane Abbott.Hester, chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), which has won more than £400m in government and NHS contracts, allegedly made derogatory comments about Abbott during a 2019 company meeting, suggesting she “should be shot”.The comments, brought to light by The Guardian newspaper, prompted Hester to admit to being “rude about Diane Abbott,” although he vehemently denied accusations of racism.Leading Tory figures have condemned the language used by the Conservative donor, who gave the party £10m in 2023.However, Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake asserted that retaining the donation was justifiable since Hester “is not a racist” and had issued an apology.In contrast, Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, voiced his support for returning the donation.While the Tory party appear divided on what to do with the funds, Independent readers were largely united on the issue when we put the question to them this week.Here’s what you had to say: ‘Give all his donations to anti-racist charities’By accepting it in the first place the Tories demonstrated their lack of judgement and morals. Hester has a reputation for making this type of comment about people he dislikes. They should tell this odious little man they won’t accept his money and give all his donations to anti-racist charities.Stardust‘An inquiry needs to happen immediately’The money should never have been accepted in the first place because the money comes from profits on taxpayer funded contracts. Surely the Tories knew this? An inquiry into party funding needs to happen immediately, but the tories won’t call one because they need all the money they can get to campaign in an election they’ll likely lose.As for Hester’s comments, he needs to be held to account for inciting racial and gender violence. Let’s see what the police do about it, nothing I suspect.Tabbers‘They need it to cling to power’They will not give the money back as they need it in a desperate effort to cling to power. Hopefully, the electorate will see through them and oust them when the election eventually comes.Rob‘A moral obligation to donate’Returning the money to Hester is out of the question but donating it to charity, particularly one that combats racism, is a moral obligation. Of course, the Tories will keep it because decency and integrity are not currency in their world.IanHall‘It should be illegal’Given that his profits come from contracts awarded to him by the Tories, the money he gave to the Tories originated with the taxpayer. This is typical Johnson-era malfeasance. In other words corruption. It should be illegal. In fact, it probably is, but as usual in this country, Westminster will turn a blind eye to the malpractices of its own.TrussedUpTurkeys‘Their credentials are clear’If the Tories don’t either return the money OR donate it to some good causes including those in Hackney, then their credentials are clear. Be as racist and insulting as you like. We will forgive and forget if you give enough money to the Conservative Party.voxtrot‘Return the money’Return the money and use it to support services in Abbott’s constituency.And then an independent inquiry into lobbying. It makes a mockery of the democratic process.stoniaSome of the comments have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.The conversation isn’t over – there’s still time to have your say. If you want to share your opinion then add it in the comments of this story.All you have to do is sign up, submit your question and register your details – then you can then take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Croatia’s parliament was dissolved on Thursday to pave the way for a parliamentary election later this year.All 143 of a total of 151 lawmakers who were present at the session voted in favor of the move. The date of the election is yet to be set. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has suggested it should be held before the vote for the European Parliament, which will be held on June 6-9. The upcoming vote in Croatia will pit ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union against a group of center and left-leaning parties who have announced they will run in a coalition. Plenkovic and his HDZ party have faced mounting accusations of high-level corruption from the opposition ahead of the ballot. He has denied the claims.Croatia is slated to hold a presidential election as well by the end of the year. Plenkovic’s HDZ largely has held power since Croatia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Adriatic Sea nation became the newest member of the European Union in 2013 and joined Europe’s free-travel and euro zones last year. More