Diane Abbott has not been barred from standing as Labour candidate, says Starmer

Labour has not taken any decision to bar Diane Abbott from standing for the Labour Party.

Taking questions from broadcasters on Wednesday (29 May), Sir Keir Starmer said it is “not true” that the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, who was suspended in April 2023 for comments she made about racism faced by Jewish and Traveller communities, is barred from standing as a Labour candidate again.

He said: “No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott. The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so she’s a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party and no decision has been taken barring her.”