Diane Abbott Cleared to Contest Hackney North Seat Amid Labour’s Candidate Confusion

Labour Party confirms Diane Abbott will run in Hackney North and Stoke Newington

There has been uncertainty in recent days about whether the longtime Labour MP would be permitted to represent the party in the constituency she has served for 37 years.

Political journalist @alixculbertson

Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 1:

The Labour Party has officially announced that Diane Abbott will be running as the party's candidate in the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party, responsible for approving election candidates, has authorized the seasoned Member of Parliament to run again on July 4 for the constituency she has represented for the past 37 years.

The list of Labour candidates approved for the election was released on Tuesday at lunchtime, just before the nomination deadline on Friday afternoon.

A source from the Labour Party informed Sky News that three members of the NEC committee mentioned Ms. Abbott's situation while reviewing candidates.

The announcement follows a period of uncertainty concerning Ms. Abbott's status within the Labour Party, stemming from her suspension last year after she implied that Jewish, Irish, and Traveller communities face prejudice rather than racism.

She issued an apology shortly after the release of the letter.

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Following a period of uncertainty, which also affected Ms. Abbott, Sir Keir Starmer clarified last week that the decision on her eligibility to run was not his to make, emphasizing that it rested with the NEC panel.

Ms. Abbott was under the impression that she was prohibited from running. However, the leader of the Labour Party later confirmed that she would be permitted to run as a candidate for the party.

Ms. Abbott, who holds the distinction of being the UK’s first black female MP, has charged Sir Keir with orchestrating a purge of left-wing members following the surprising disqualification of Faiza Shaheen from representing Labour in the previous week.

Ex-Labour chief and ally of Ms. Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, who was ousted from the party and is now running as an independent in the adjacent Islington North, informed Sky News that Sir Keir is "obviously interfering" in what he calls a "purge" of left-leaning candidates.

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On Sunday, Ms. Abbott announced her plans to "run and win," amid rumors that she might decide not to seek re-election.

She subsequently posted on social media, stating: "More falsehoods from Starmer," and included a link to a piece by Tom Baldwin, the biographer of the Labour leader, titled: "Starmer on Abbott: 'I've actually got more respect for Diane than she probably realizes'."

In response to the allegations before the National Executive Committee's final verdict on Tuesday, Sir Keir stated, “We have addressed the Diane Abbott situation. I unequivocally clarified her position last week by affirming her eligibility to contest in the election."

"She is now one of the nominees presented to the voters."

When questioned about whether he had communicated with her, he replied, "I spoke to Diane a couple of months back. My team has been in touch with her too, but the decision has already been made."

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Ms. Abbott and Mr. Corbyn recently discussed actions that included the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle last week. Russell-Moyle has served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown since 2017.

On Monday, seven Labour Party councillors in Slough stepped down, citing feelings of betrayal by the party's leadership as their reason for resignation.

They expressed "deep disappointment and frustration" regarding Labour's handling of Ms. Abbott and Ms. Shaheen, its stance on the Gaza conflict, and concerning Slough's Labour candidate Tan Dhesi.

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