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Sir Keir Starmer must support Diane Abbott and restore the Labour whip after a Tory donor’s alleged remarks, Dawn Butler said.Frank Hester said he is “deeply sorry” after reportedly saying in 2019 the MP made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.The chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) admitted making “rude” comments but said they had “nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.Ms Abbott had the whip withdrawn immediately after suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people are not subject to racism “all their lives” in a letter to the Observer, and apologised.Sir Keir said told ITV’s Lorraine: “The comments about Diane Abbott are just abhorrent.” More

Graham Stuart has said he welcomes “all those who support the Conservative Party” when asked whether the Tories should return money donated by Frank Hester.Mr Stuart made his comments after the major Tory donor allegedly said former Labour MP Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women”.He told Sky News on Tuesday (12 March): “We can’t cancel anybody from participation in public life, or indeed donating to parties, because they said something intemperate and wrong in their past.“It’s not my decision, but I do welcome those who support the Conservative Party.” More

Lee Anderson has been likened to a “Midlands version” of former US president Donald Trump.The MP, who was suspended by the Conservative Party after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had “control” of London mayor Sadiq Khan, announced his defection to Reform UK on Monday (11 March).He announced his switch to the Nigel Farage-linked right-wing populist party at a press conference alongside party leader Richard Tice and said: “I will start by saying I want my country back”.A voter in Mr Anderson’s Ashfield constituency likened him to Mr Trump in an LBC call-in on Monday.Caller Ceclia said: “I think Lee Anderson is a Midlands version of Donald Trump. He is interested in nobody.” More

Watch as members of the public in Lee Anderson’s constituency of Ashfield react to his defection to Reform UK on Monday 11 March.The MP was suspended by the Conservative Party recently after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had “control” of London mayor Sadiq Khan.He announced his switch to the Nigel Farage-linked right-wing populist party at a press conference alongside party leader Richard Tice.“I will start by saying I want my country back,” Mr Anderson said.He added that he is prepared to gamble on himself and that his mailbag is full of people in the UK who support his new party. More

A friend of Lee Anderson said he “regrets” the Ashfield MP’s decision to defect to Reform UK from the Conservative Party.Speaking on Politics Live on Monday, 11 March, following the announcement, Tory MP Danny Kruger said he believed it was wrong for the whip to have been removed from Anderson after his remarks about Sadiq Khan and declared: “Today is a wake-up call for us as a party.”It came after Mr Anderson held a press conference with Reform UK leader Richard Tice in which he claimed his parents “could not vote for him” if he stayed in the Tory party. More

A Rishi Sunak lookalike acted as a gameshow host spinning a dystopian “wheel of misfortune” created by Amnesty International UK to “highlight the serious consequences of the controversial Rwanda bill.”The action was staged outside the House of Commons on Monday, 11 March, a day before the government’s proposed asylum law was due to receive its third reading in the Lords.The charity is calling for lawmakers to reject the bill and stop playing a “dystopian horror game” with the lives of people seeking asylum. More

Sir Keir Starmer dismissed calls for a by-election following Lee Anderson’s decision to defect from the Conservative Party to Reform UK.The Ashfield MP announced his move in a press conference on Friday, 11 March, during which he claimed his mum and dad had told him they would not vote for him unless he switched to Richard Tice’s party.Mr Anderson has ruled out calling a by-election, telling the BBC it “would be pretty reckless for me to suggest a by-election when we could have a general election in May”.The Labour leader made a similar statement, telling Sky News: “Forget about Lee Anderson, let’s have a general election.” More

Lee Anderson criticised Reform UK weeks before defecting from the Conservative Party, declaring the party “leaves the door open for Sir Keir Starmer to get into Number 10 and undo all the hard work we’ve tried to do so far.”On 2 January, the Ashfield MP said Richard Tice’s part “is not the answer”.“I’ve got a lot of time for Richard, but knock on doors in Ashfield and nobody’s ever heard of him,” Mr Anderson said.Mr Anderson announced his move on Friday, 11 March.It marks his third political party membership in six years, having first supported Labour before defecting to the Tories. More