Politics
Diane Abbott Greenlit to Contest Hackney North Seat Amid Labour NEC Confusion and Controversy
Labour Party Confirms Diane Abbott as Candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Amid recent uncertainty, the Labour Party has officially confirmed that the experienced MP will once again represent the party in the constituency she has served for nearly four decades.
Political correspondent Alix Culbertson
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 1:
The Labour Party has officially announced that Diane Abbott will be running as their representative in the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency.
The governing body responsible for ratifying election candidates, Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC), has authorized the long-serving MP to contest in the constituency she has represented for 37 years, with the green light given for the 4th of July.
The roster of authorized Labour candidates for the upcoming election was released on Tuesday afternoon, just before the Friday deadline for all candidate nominations.
A source from the Labour Party informed Sky News that three members of the NEC panel discussed Ms. Abbott's treatment while reviewing candidates.
The announcement follows a week of uncertainty regarding Ms. Abbott's status within the Labour Party, which began after her suspension last year for comments implying that Jewish, Irish, and Traveller communities face prejudice, not racism.
She issued an apology shortly after the release of the letter.
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Following a period marked by uncertainty, including from Ms. Abbott herself, Sir Keir Starmer clarified last week that the decision regarding her candidacy was not his to make, but rather a matter to be determined by the NEC panel.
Ms. Abbott was under the impression that she had been 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 made history as the UK's first black female Member of Parliament, has charged Sir Keir with orchestrating a purge of leftist members, following the surprising disqualification of Faiza Shaheen from the Labour candidacy last week.
Ex-Labour chief and ally of Ms. Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, who was ousted from the party and is now running independently in the adjacent Islington North, expressed to Sky News that Sir Keir is "definitely interfering" in a "cull" of left-leaning candidates.
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On Sunday, Ms. Abbott announced her determination to "run and win," addressing rumors that she might consider retiring.
She subsequently posted on social media, stating, "More lies from Starmer," and included a link to a piece by Tom Baldwin, who has written about the Labour leader, titled: "Starmer on Abbott: 'I've actually got more respect for Diane than she probably realizes.'"
Responding to those claims before the National Executive Committee's conclusive meeting on Tuesday, Sir Keir stated, "We have addressed the situation with Diane Abbott. I unequivocally clarified last week that she is eligible to participate in the election.
"She is among the contenders we are presenting to the voters."
When questioned about his communication with her, he responded, "I last spoke to Diane a couple of months ago. My team has been in contact with her since then, but the decision has already been made."
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Ms. Abbott and Mr. Corbyn recently discussed measures that involved the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle last week, who has served as the MP for Brighton Kemptown starting in 2017.
On Monday, seven Slough Labour councillors stepped down from the party, alleging betrayal by the leadership.
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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