Labour suspends Diane Abbott for second time over racism comments
Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour party for a second time after saying she did not regret her past remarks on racism, as Keir Starmer once again attempted to reassert his grip over his backbenchers,The veteran MP now faces an investigation over her defence of remarks more than two years ago that people of colour experienced racism “all their lives”, which was different from the “prejudice” experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers,In a statement to Newsnight on Thursday evening, Abbott said: “It is obvious this Labour leadership wants me out,My comments in the interview … were factually correct, as any fair-minded person would accept,”In the interview with the BBC earlier on Thursday, Abbott, the first black woman elected to parliament, had 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,”The suspension was the latest sign that the prime minister intends to take a tougher approach to party discipline after being forced to U-turn over controversial welfare cuts after a massive rebellion by his MPs,He insisted on Thursday that he will not be “deflected” from his mission to reform Britain after suspending the whip from four Labour MPs who repeatedly voted against the government, including on welfare reform legislation,Starmer said the suspensions of Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff were not just about a single vote but the result of “repeatedly breaking the whip” and undermining Labour’s ability to fulfil its manifesto.
At a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, he was asked whether punishing the MPs made him look weak.“We are elected in to change this country for the better, and that means we’ve got to carry through that change, and we’ve got to carry through reforms,” he replied.“I’m determined that we will change this country for the better, for millions of working people, and I’m not going to be deflected from that.“And therefore we had to deal with people who repeatedly break the whip, because everyone was elected as a Labour MP on the manifesto of change and everybody needs to deliver as a Labour government.This is about what we’re doing for the country.
”Abbott, who has the honorary title mother of the house as the longest-serving female MP in the Commons, first made her comments in a letter to the Observer in 2023 and was suspended from the party after Starmer said they were antisemitic.Abbott wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice”.“This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable,” she said.“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.
”She swiftly apologised and withdrew the remarks at the time, and was eventually readmitted, after a protracted investigation, in time to stand in the general election.Labour sources said the decision to once again suspend Abbott, one of the most well-known leftwing figures in the country, was made swiftly, and that this time she was not offered an opportunity to retract her remarks.It unleashed an angry response among sections of the party.The veteran John McDonnell said: “It is extremely bizarre that Diane Abbott gets suspended for an interview in which she forthrightly condemns antisemitism and racism in all its forms whilst no action is taken against those that inserted into Keir Starmer’s recent speech Enoch Powell’s racist language.”Her longstanding ally Shami Chakrabarti said: “People who are writing ‘island of strangers’ speeches should be a bit slow to sit in judgment on Diane Abbott, who has been fighting racism all her life.
”Angela Rayner said she was disappointed that Abbott had defended the comments, saying there was “no place for antisemitism” within Labour.Sign up to Headlines UKGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotionThe deputy prime minister, who last year paved the way for Abbott to be allowed to stand for the party again at the election, told the Guardian the comments represented a “real challenge” for Labour.Rayner said it was “not good” the MP had sought to back away from her earlier apology.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.
”In her BBC interview, Abbott said she felt “a bit weary” of people labelling her antisemitic.She had “spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds and in particular fighting antisemitism, partly because of the nature of my constituency”.Her north London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington is home to a large Jewish population.Asked whether she felt she had been “hung out to dry” by the Labour leadership during the disciplinary process relating to her remarks, she said: “In the end, Keir Starmer had to restore the whip to me.“I got tremendous support locally.
We had a big rally on the steps of Hackney town hall.And in the end Keir Starmer and the people around him had to back off because of the support I had from the community.”Abbott was readmitted to the party and allowed to stand as a Labour candidate after party officials failed to broker a deal by which she would get the whip back in return for standing down.The row dominated the early days of the general election campaign.The decision to suspend the four other MPs also sparked a backlash from parts of the Labour left.
Maskell publicly criticised the move,“On this occasion, I don’t think he’s got it right,” she told the BBC,“There needs to be a better reach-out to backbenchers to ensure that we are the safeguards of our government,”Before her own suspension, Abbott criticised the treatment of backbenchers and called for more space for MPs to raise concerns about policy,Writing on social media, she said: “Silencing dissent is not leadership.
It’s control.”A senior Labour figure expressed frustration at what they saw as inconsistent discipline, telling the Guardian: “There were other ministers who helped stir this rebellion – including one who actively encouraged colleagues to sign the amendment.Why are they allowed to carry on?”But Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister, defended the move, saying the MPs involved should not be surprised by the consequences.“There has to be an element of discipline otherwise you end up not being able to govern,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.“Constantly taking to the airwaves and slagging off your own government – I have to say, what did you think was going to happen?”
BP agrees to sell US onshore wind business as it shifts back to oil
BP has agreed a deal to sell off its onshore wind business in the US as the oil multinational turns its back on renewable energy after a failed attempt to go green.The company said it would sell its share of 10 windfarms, which generate enough clean energy to power more than 500,000 US homes, to the New York-headquartered LS Power.The terms of BP’s deal with the power and energy infrastructure company were not disclosed. However, the value of the windfarms, nine of which are operated by BP, is understood to be lower than the $2bn (£1.5bn) valuation estimated for BP’s onshore wind business in the past
Festivalgoers help drive Burberry to best sales performance in 18 months
Shoppers snapping up Burberry wellies, scarves and light jackets to wear at music festivals have helped the fashion brand to its best sales performance in 18 months despite lacklustre spending by tourists around the world.Sales of the luxury British brand fell by 2% to £433m in the three months to the end of June, with a 1% decline at established stores, an improvement from the 6% fall in the previous quarter and the best performance since Christmas 2023.Shares in Burberry rose by more than 4% on Friday morning on the better-than-expected performance, as CEO Joshua Schulman, who was appointed a year ago, attempts a turnaround.Sales rose in Europe and the Americas but continued to fall in Asia, including its all-important Chinese market, which accounts for 30% of sales.Schulman, the former boss of the US fashion brand Coach, said: “Its a tough macro [environment] out there and we are taking things step by step but we are optimistic about the quarters ahead and the business in general
Jaguar Land Rover delays launch of new Range Rover Electric
Britain’s largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, has delayed the planned launches of its new electric Range Rover and electric Jaguar models to give it time for more testing and for demand to pick up, the Guardian can reveal.JLR has written to customers waiting for the Range Rover Electric to inform them that deliveries of the new version of the model will not start until next year, after initially aiming for late 2025.Two people with knowledge of the carmaker’s plans said that two planned Jaguar models – much anticipated since a viral pink-and-blue rebrand – may also be pushed back by several months compared with original plans.JLR has been hit by the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs in recent months; this week it reported a 15.1% drop in sales in the three months to June after a temporary pause in exports to the US
New ‘buy now, pay later’ affordability checks may cover even smallest loans
Lenders may have to carry out affordability checks on even the smallest buy now, pay later loans under new rules drawn up by the City watchdog.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)on Friday published details of its plan to regulate the £13bn buy now, pay later (BNPL) market.The proposals include requiring firms to offer support to customers in financial difficulty. Borrowers will also be able to complain to the financial ombudsman service if something goes wrong.Sarah Pritchard, the FCA’s deputy chief executive, said the regulator had wanted to police the sector for some time, amid rapid growth in demand for this type of loan
White House seeks inspection of Fed building as Trump piles pressure on Powell
The White House is pushing for an inspection of the US Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington after Donald Trump suggested the central bank had mismanaged funds for building renovations.The scrutiny comes as Trump has unsuccessfully tried to pressure the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, to quit and demanded he and other officials lower interest rates. Powell has said that lowering rates prematurely could lead to higher inflation, and that Trump’s tariffs had contributed to price increases.In response to the Fed chair’s resistance, Trump has threatened to fire Powell multiple times.Yesterday, after reports that Trump floated the idea of firing Powell to House Republicans, Trump said: “I don’t rule out anything, but I think it’s highly unlikely unless he has to leave for fraud
‘Worse than Covid’: hospitality bosses blame Reeves’ budget for UK downturn
“From a financial point of view, last year’s budget was worse for hospitality than Covid,” says Philip Thorley, who owns 18 pubs across Kent and employs about 400 people.Usually he is looking to recruit staff to help out in the summer months but this year will be different, he says, as the £25bn increase in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) that came into force in April has been “catastrophic for our company and industry”.He says the fact that Thorley Taverns is now taxed at about £8,000 a week, totalling more than £400,000 a year, means it cannot afford to take on anybody new during busier months. Current staff will have to work harder, Thorley adds, and the extra pressure could affect customer service levels and opening times.“This affects anybody in retail, in the high street and other entry-level jobs, especially young people,” he says
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for courgette, goat’s cheese and lemon risotto | A kitchen in Rome
How to turn fruit and veg scraps into a delicious cake – recipe | Waste not
From crunchy chaat and yoghurt to spicy peanut butter: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for alternative potato salads
Coffee, tea or … yaupon? Will Trump’s tariffs force Americans back to their home-grown brew?
Why homemade stir-fry sauces are always better than bought in ones | Kitchen aide
‘Don’t ever assume there’s anything to eat!’ 29 tips for perfect vegan holidays, from where to go to how to order