Diane Abbott Suspended By Labour For A Second Time Over Anti-Semitism Comments

Diane Abbott was first suspended in 2023.Diane Abbott has been suspended by Labour for a second time amid fresh allegations of anti-semitism.The veteran MP appeared to double down on previous comments she made about Jewish, Irish and Traveller people not experiencing the same type of racism as black people, which saw her lose the party whip in April, 2023.In a letter published in The Observer, she said: “They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable.“It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice.“But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.“In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”She later claimed the letter had been sent to the newspaper in error and apologised “unreservedly” for any “anguish” they had caused.The former shadow home secretary was eventually given back the Labour whip before last year’s general election.But in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme, Abbott said she did not look back on the incident with regret.She said: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.“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. I don’t know why people would say that.”In a statement, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.”Abbott, who is the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was criticised by the Jewish Labour Movement.In a post on X, they said: “Anti-semitism is anti-Jewish racism. It targets Jews regardless of how they look, and many of our community are visibly Jewish and suffer racism for it.“We are disappointed that Diane Abbott MP has doubled down on comments she previously appeared to apologise for, and are pleased to hear that Labour are looking into them.”We are disappointed that Diane Abbott MP has doubled down on comments she previously appeared to apologise for, and are pleased to hear that Labour are looking into them.2/2— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) July 17, 2025The row comes just a day after four Labour MPs lost the whip for persistent breaches of party discipline.Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell were all suspended by government chief whip Alan Campbell.All four voted against the government’s flagship welfare bill last week, but it is understood they have been disciplined for “actively organising against the government” over several months.Seven Labour MPs also lost the whip last July after voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, although four of them later had it restored.Related...Diane Abbott Slams Keir Starmer's Immigration Speech For Being 'Fundamentally Racist'Diane Abbott Vows To Remain An MP For 'As Long As Possible' Amid Labour Row'He Has No Feel For Politics': Diane Abbott Re-Ignites Her Feud With Keir Starmer

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