Sunak calls on Starmer to be transparent about Diane Abbott situation – UK politics live | Politics
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Sunak calls on Starmer to be transparent about the Diane Abbott situation
Rishi Sunak campaigning in Cornwall today and speaking to the media about reports that Labor has reinstated the whip to Diane Abbott after a long hiatus, but she is barred from running for re-election.
The Prime Minister told the media:
The Labor Party has been telling everyone that the Diane Abbott inquiry is ongoing and now it looks like it ended months ago. So it’s really a matter for them to clarify all of this, what happened when, to be transparent about it.
Key events
Sky News has published a new YouGov survey with field work being carried out since the election was called, which gives Labor a wider lead over Conservativeswith 27 points.
It said that of those who voted Tory in 2019 under Boris Johnson, “only 36% say they would vote Tory now, 19% would vote for UK reform, 19% don’t know and 14% would switch to Labor.”
You can find the Guardian’s aggregator of recent polls here: UK polls tracking – Labor surges ahead as general election campaign continues
Abbott: ‘I am very disturbed by numerous reports suggesting I have been ruled out as a candidate’
Diane Abbott posted on social media saying he would “campaign for a Labor victory’ but is ‘very alarmed’ by reports that she has been banned from promotion. She wrote:
I am naturally delighted that the Labor whip has been reinstated and that I am a member of the PLP. Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way. I will campaign for Labor to win. But I am very disturbed that numerous reports indicate that I have been excluded as a candidate.
I am naturally delighted that the Labor whip has been reinstated and that I am a member of the PLP.
Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way.
I will campaign for Labor to win.
But I am very disturbed that numerous reports indicate that I have been excluded as a candidate. pic.twitter.com/OKdyLLOmvE— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) May 29, 2024
Rishi Sunak had arrived in south-west England for a campaign after traveling on a sleeper train overnight. He has already made an early morning media appearance, buying breakfast sandwiches for staff and media at a waterfront cafe. He described the train ride as “hilarious,” according to PA Media. It seems that he has successfully avoided anyone accepting a picture of him awkwardly eating a bacon sandwich. Sunak will do a Q&A later in Devon.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn hailed Diane Abbott as a “phenomenal person”, describing the situation as a “pretty sad state” for Labor.
PA Media reports that Flynn told Sky News:
I think it’s a pretty sad reflection of the Labor Party and where it is and what its values are and what its principles are at the moment. Diane Abbott gets her membership back at the last minute but is not allowed to stand up.
I would just like to thank Diane for everything she has done, as a pioneer for women in Parliament, but also as the first black woman in Parliament. She is a phenomenal person and her legacy will be long lasting.
Flynn contrasted the attitude towards Abbott with the fact that the Labor leader Keir Starmer welcomed with “open arms” the defecting Conservative MP Nathalie Elphike, whom he described as a “right-wing populist”.
Wes Streeting was also pressed Diane Abbott while appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Justine Webb told the shadow health secretary it was a wider issue of honesty Keir Starmerthe party leadership, indicating that he had said the party’s process was ongoing when it now appeared that the process was over.
Streeting said: “First of all, I’m not going to rely on rumours. The second thing I would say is that Labor the party has fundamentally changed from the party that was rejected in 2019.”
Webb pointed out that this was not a “rumor” but was referring to what Starmer actually said. Asked whether he wanted Abbott to remain as a Labor MP and whether she should be allowed to stand down, Streeting said:
Well, that is the decision of the National Executive Committee of the Labor Party. And when Keir Starmer talked about improving standards in the Labor Party, he really meant it. Now, I don’t know the specific factors that apply in Diane Abbott’s case. I was actually pleased yesterday that her suspension was up and the whip was restored.
He continued that it was “not my decision” whether Abbott would stand or not, adding “I say this with enormous respect for Diane Abbott and all that she has achieved in politics as a trailblazer and someone who, despite our differences, I have enormous respect for .”
Streeting: ‘not particularly’ comfortable with what happened to Diane Abbott
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting made the media rounds for Labor this morning and was repeatedly questioned about Diane Abbott. On Times Radio he was asked “Do you feel comfortable with what happened here with Diane Abbott?” and he replied “No, not really.”
He told the listeners:
I know Diane had her whip reinstated and her suspension lifted yesterday. This was after she was suspended for remarks she made, for which she later apologized. So I know at this stage, in terms of decisions about her candidacy, as much as has been reported.
I think this has been going on for a very long time. I say this with great respect for all that Diane has accomplished in politics. Diane has rightly apologized for the comments she made that led to her suspension, as for the process, I think these questions are better directed at the people responsible for the process.
He emphasized that he was not personally involved in the process and bears “no responsibility” for it.
Diane Abbott says she has been banned from standing for election by Labour
Kieran Stacey
Kieran Stacey is the Guardian’s political correspondent based in Westminster
Diane Abbott has confirmed that she is barred from running as a Labor MP at the next election, ending a nearly 40-year career as one of the party’s best-known politicians.
The Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington issued a statement to broadcasters on Wednesday morning, confirming she had been returned Labor whip following a months-long investigation into her conduct, but she would not be allowed to stand again as a Labor candidate.
The decision leaves Abbott, the first black woman elected to the British parliament, facing a decision whether to run as an independent against the party she has represented since 1987 or end her long parliamentary career.
According to Sky and the BBC, Abbott said: “Although the whip has been reinstated, I am barred from standing as a Labor candidate.”
Her comments capped a chaotic 24 hours in which reports suggested she was on the verge of being banned from standing as a Labor candidate, only for her allies to say she had not been informed of the decision.
Abbott was suspended from the party in April last year after writing a letter to the Observer that appeared to downplay anti-Jewish racism. Abbott apologized for his remarks but was investigated and lost the Labor whip.
Keir Starmer, the Labor leader, said this week that the investigation was ongoing. But it emerged on Tuesday that it ended in December, with Abbott told to complete an online anti-Semitism training course in February.
Read more here: Diane Abbott says she is banned from running for Labor at the election
Welcome and introductory summary…
Good morning! Labor is facing questions about how the disciplinary process surrounding Diane Abbott has played out. She said she had reinstated the Labor whip after a long hiatus, but it was is prevented by the party from appearing in the elections. More on that in a moment. Here are your headlines…
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Labor has promised to clear England’s bulging NHS waiting list within five years
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Wes Streeting mocked the Conservatives for trying to portray Keir Starmer – aged 61 – as old and clumsy
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The poll shows Waitrose is the only major supermarket with a majority of Tories among its customers
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There are advertised tickets plans already made to thwart any attempt by Labor to pressure them
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Rich white rural men are the UK’s biggest emitters of climate warming gases from transport, according to a study
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The owner of Royal Mail has agreed to a £3.57bn takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský
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Rishi Sunak is campaigning in Cornwall today – he took a sleeper train from Paddington
Ed Davey launches the Liberal Democrat campaign at 10.10am, Starmer and Streeting campaign on the NHS in the Midlands with an event at 11.15am, Sunak will do a Q&A in Devon this afternoon at 4.25pm and Jeremy Corbyn launches his campaign from 7 p.m.
Martin Bellam is here with you today. I try to read all your comments and dive in where I think I can be of help, but if you want to get my attention the best way is to email me – martin.belam@theguardian.com – especially if you notice mistakes or typos.
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