Diane Abbott banned from standing in Hackney as she has Labour whip restored

Longtime Hackney MP Diane Abbott has been banned from defending her seat in the upcoming general election, even as she is readmitted to the Labour Party.

According to a report in the Times, Abbott faces a ban from Labour’s National Executive Committee following a lengthy disciplinary process after she was accused of antisemitism early last year. 

Abbott was formally disciplined by the Labour Party earlier this year, after an internal party investigation into her comments in April 2023 in a letter to the Observer newspaper. 

Following the letter’s publication, she was accused of downplaying antisemitism by suggesting Jews do not suffer racism and comparing instead the “prejudice” experienced by Jewish people to that which is experienced by Irish people and redheads. She later withdrew the comments and apologised after being suspended by the party.