Diane Abbott is 'free to stand' as a Labour candidate, says Starmer

ITV News' Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports on the latest developments surrounding Diane Abbott's candidacy.

Diane Abbott is "free to stand" as a Labour candidate in the General Election, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader made the announcement on Friday just hours after he declined to join Angela Rayner and Anas Sarwar in backing the veteran left-winger’s Labour candidacy..

Starmer told reporters on Friday: “The whip has obviously been restored to her now and she is free to go forward as a Labour candidate.”

He praised the Labour veteran as a “trailblazer”, saying: “Diane Abbott was elected in 1987, the first black woman MP.

“She has carved a path for other people to come into politics and public life.”

A row erupted earlier this week after it was briefed out that Ms Abbott might be "barred" from running for the party in July's General Election.

For days, Starmer declined to say whether Ms Abbot would be defending her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat, as he faced claims of a “purge” of left-wing candidates

ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana said: "Interestingly - Labour sources close to this process said to me yesterday that they doubted Angela Rayner was "going rogue" meaning her intervention either meant the party would let Diane stand OR that they had agreed she'd be 'good cop'."

Labour’s election campaign has been overshadowed by the accusations of a left-wing "cull".

The accusations were sparked by uncertainty over whether Ms Abbott will be allowed to defend her seat and then the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was MP for Brighton Kemptown, and the decision not to endorse candidate Faiza Shaheen in Chingford and Woodford Green.

Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour last year after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism, sparking a long-running process which saw her sit as an Independent MP.

She had the whip restored on Tuesday.

Labour sources said Ms Abbott will be the Labour candidate in her long-held constituency and Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee is expected to support her candidacy.

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