Keir Starmer says Diane Abbott is ‘free’ to face as Labour candidate

Keir Starmer today dramatically caved into a huge backlash by declaring Diane Abbott can stand as a Labour candidate at the election.

The Labour leader moved to end days of bitter factional infighting by declaring that the veteran Left-winger is ‘free’ to represent the party. 

Sir Keir faced another grilling on the festering tensions as he took his campaign to Scotland this morning.

Amid rising fears that the row could dent his election hopes, Sir Keir said ‘the fact remains that no decisions have been taken’ when asked whether Ms Abbott would be blocked from standing at the election. 

But Labour’s leader in Scotland Anas Sarwar heaped more pressure on by making clear he ‘agrees with’ Angela Rayner – who yesterday said she thought Ms Abbott – Britain’s first black female MP – should be allowed to run. 

The ruling NEC takes the final decision on candidates, but Sir Keir’s supporters have a majority – meaning he can effectively control the outcome.

Sir Keir said: ‘The whip has obviously been restored to her now and she is free to go forward as a Labour candidate.’

He praised the Labour veteran as a ‘trailblazer’, saying: ‘Diane Abbott was elected in 1987, the first black woman MP.

‘She has carved a path for other people to come into politics and public life.’

Labour sources said Ms Abbott will be the Labour candidate in her long-held constituency and the NEC is expected to support her candidacy. 

In other developments today:

• Sir Keir confirmed he had taken a private plane from Wales to Scotland, despite Labour attacking Rishi Sunak over his travel;
• Despite describing himself as a vegetarian, Sir Keir joked he was coming back to Scotland for the tandoori salmon;
• Polls suggest the Tories are making little impact on Labour’s lead despite broad support for new policies. 

Mr Sarwar, who appeared with Sir Keir to launch the energy policy this morning, described Ms Abbott as an ‘historic figure in the Labour Party’, while stressing that it was ‘ultimately a decision for the NEC’.

‘I think the NEC should make a decision quickly,’ he added. 

Shadow cabinet minister Peter Kyle also risked inflaming tensions, saying Labour is ‘responding to a situation that Diane herself got herself in to’. 

Pouring petrol on the dispute yesterday, Ms Rayner told Sky: ‘I don’t think there’s any reason why Diane Abbott shouldn’t stand as an MP.

‘She’s been an inspiration to many people who see that actually she has been a trailblazer.

‘Now people from her background and people who look like her have a place in our politics. And she’s been able to demonstrate that. You can see the difference on our benches.’

Ms Rayner also said it was ‘not a great look’ to see Ms Abbott being ‘briefed against’.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride twisted the knife today, repeating the Tories’ attack line that ‘if Keir Starmer can’t deal with Diane Abbott, how on earth is he going to deal with Vladimir Putin?’

The Labour Left has vented fury at an apparent bid by the leadership to purge Corbynites and parachute some of Sir Keir’s most loyal allies into plum seats. 

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland today, Sir Keir said: ‘Diane Abbott has had the whip returned to her, no decision has been taken to bar her from standing and the NEC will come to a decision in due course.’

Asked if he would like her to be a candidate, Sir Keir added: ‘Ultimately, that will be a matter for the NEC but no decision has been taken.’

He also praised the MP as a ‘trailblazer’. ‘She, of course, was a trailblazer for years, she faced many challenges which she overcame in her political career,’ he said.

A clamour is growing for Sir Keir to neutralise the bitter spat over Ms Abbott, who has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington for nearly four decades.

Ms Abbott, who was elected to Parliament in 1987, has said she wants to fight to retain her seat ‘as long as it is possible’.

She was suspended by the party last year for suggesting Jewish, Irish and traveller people experienced prejudice but not racism.

After apologising and undergoing training on anti-Semitism, she had the party whip restored this week, meaning she could stand as a Labour candidate. But reports suggested that she would be barred from standing again for her seat.

Ms Abbott – a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn – said there was an ‘appalling cull’ of the Left of the party. Former leader Mr Corbyn lost the Labour whip after he said a highly critical report on the scale of anti- Semitism within the party had been ‘dramatically overstated’.

He launched his campaign to stand as an independent in his Islington North seat on Wednesday. 

Ms Abbott also risked falling foul of Labour rules against supporting rival candidates by retweeting a message hailing Mr Corbyn’s decision to run. 

Meanwhile, his supporter Lloyd Russell-Moyle was suspended by Labour and told he could not stand again in his former seat of Brighton Kemptown. The former MP blamed a ‘vexatious and politically motivated complaint’ against him.

Faiza Shaheen was not endorsed as the Labour candidate for Sir Iain Duncan Smith’s marginal seat of Chingford and Woodford Green. She was blocked after liking a series of social media posts that allegedly downplayed anti-

Semitism accusations and may run as an independent. She is consulting lawyers.

The Momentum campaign group, which was set up to support

Mr Corbyn’s Labour leadership, criticised Sir Keir’s comments about candidate selection.

‘This is a laughable defence and no one’s buying it,’ a spokesman said. ‘Plain as day, Keir Starmer is purging Left-wingers. He is pushing out independent-minded women of colour.’

It came as several Sir Keir allies were parachuted into key seats.

Josh Simons, director of the Labour Together group, was selected in Makerfield. Luke Akehurst, the secretary of Labour First, was selected in North Durham.