STORY
Diane Abbott has been readmitted to the Labour Party and restored to the parliamentary Labour Party following the conclusion of an independent disciplinary process. Abbott had been suspended after renewed controversy over comments relating to racism and antisemitism, having previously faced disciplinary action over remarks that distinguished racism experienced by Black people from prejudice experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers.
Abbott was first suspended in 2023 after a letter in which she suggested Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers experienced prejudice rather than racism. She withdrew the comments and apologised. She was later suspended again in 2025 after stating in a BBC interview that she did not regret the substance of those remarks, prompting a fresh investigation by Labour. During the disciplinary process she also apologised for conflating the Israeli Defence Forces with the Jewish community in a separate social media post and completed antisemitism awareness training.
Labour said Abbott’s readmission followed the recommendation of its independent disciplinary board and stressed that the decision had been made under the party’s established procedures. Abbott said she remained committed to opposing racism in all its forms. The Jewish Leadership Council criticised the decision, questioning whether it was consistent with Labour’s stated zero tolerance approach to antisemitism.