By Merciful Omoba
Veteran British MP Diane Abbott has been suspended by the Labour Party following remarks she made about racism in a recent BBC interview, the BBC has reported.
The suspension means Abbott, who represents Hackney North and Stoke Newington, will now sit as an independent MP in Parliament; a status known as losing the party whip.
The Labour Party has declined to comment publicly, stating only that an investigation is underway.
The controversy stems from Abbott’s statement in the BBC interview, where she said: “I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism.”
Her remarks reference an earlier controversy in 2023, when she was suspended for a year over a letter she wrote to The Observer newspaper.
In the letter, she argued that while Irish, Jewish and Traveller communities face prejudice, their experiences are “similar to racism” but not identical.
She added that white people with distinct traits, like red hair, can face discrimination but are “not all their lives subject to racism.”
Abbott later retracted those comments and apologized, acknowledging the anguish they caused. Though she was reinstated to the party shortly before the last general election, her recent comments have reignited criticism.
Asked by BBC’s James Naughtie if she regretted the 2023 incident, Abbott said: “No, not at all.” She went on to distinguish between racism based on skin colour and other forms of prejudice, stating: “If you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re black. They are different types of racism.”
Her comments drew criticism from Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who told The Guardian she was disappointed. “There’s no place for antisemitism in the Labour Party,” Rayner said, adding that Abbott’s attempt to defend her earlier comments was “a real challenge.”
However, Abbott received support from allies like former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who urged critics to listen to her full BBC interview.
“She forthrightly condemns antisemitism and discusses the different forms of racism,” McDonnell said on social media.
In the interview, Abbott also rejected accusations of antisemitism. “Of course [I condemn it], and I do get a bit weary of people trying to pin the antisemitic label on me because I’ve spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds, and in particular fighting antisemitism,” she said.
Abbott, the longest-serving female MP in the Commons since her election in 1987, expressed gratitude for her time with the Labour Party but suggested the current leadership may be working to push her out.
