Diane Abbott accuses Keir Starmer of trying to end her parliamentary career

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was stripped of her Labor whip in April Photo: Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Diane Abbott has accused Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labor Party, of trying to end her 36-year parliamentary career by criticizing the handling of anti-Semitism charges against her.

Ms Abbott, one of the Labor Party's best-known figures on the Left MPs released a lengthy statement on social media in which she said she would «not receive a fair trial» from Sir Keir's management.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was stripped of her Labor whip in April after as she wrote in a letter to the Observer, in which she suggested that Jews, Irish and Travelers do not experience racism “all their lives.”

Following a backlash over remarks Sir Keir branded «anti-Semitic», Ms Abbott apologized for the «hurt» it had caused and said her letter was a draft that had been sent in error.

controversy

In her statement On Twitter, Ms Abbott said the Labor Party was working to «replace me as candidate» ahead of the next general election and said the disciplinary process involving her was «fraudulent».

“I have been told this by the Chief Whip, who is “actively involved” in the investigation,” she wrote. «But Labor whips are no longer involved — they are now completely controlled by Labor Party headquarters, which reports to Keir Starmer — and there is no investigation.»

Noting that the Labor Party had recently replaced its local party's executive committee, Ms Abbott continued: «Essentially, the Labor apparatus has decapitated the elected constituency party leadership in order to appoint its own hand-picked staff and replace me as candidate until the next election.»

“The procedural irregularities, Starmer's guilty plea, the four-month delay in the investigation, the repeated refusal to try to reach any agreement — all indicate that the verdict has already been reached.

“The destruction of democracy in my local Labor Party is the latest proof. I am the longest serving black MP. However, it is widely believed that, as a black woman and a member of the left-wing Labor Party, I will not receive fair consideration from the Labor Party leadership.»

Ms Abbott, who has previously said that she was chosen as Labour's candidate for Hackney North in 2024, will face an uphill battle for re-election as an independent candidate, as the north London seat has only returned Labor MPs since its creation in 1950. .

An attempt to remove her from Parliament will be the latest front in Sir Keir's fight against hardline politics. Left the party after succeeding Jeremy Corbyn in 2020.

He suspended Mr Corbyn, who never regained the whip, in October that year amid a separate anti-Semitism scandal in which The Islington North MP said the scale of the problem in the party had been «drastically exaggerated» under his leadership.

On Thursday night, Mr Corbyn described the treatment of Ms Abbott, one of his closest allies, as » «a disgrace», writing: «The latest clash represents another blatant attack on local democracy.»

A Labor Party spokesman said: «The Labor Party rightly expects the highest standards of behavior from its elected representatives and has introduced an independent complaints process to investigate cases. We do not comment on ongoing investigations.»