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

The party leader told reporters this afternoon that "the whip has obviously been restored to her now and she is free to go forward as a Labour candidate" and went on to praise her a “trailblazer” in British politics.

The veteran left-wing MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the fourth-largest Jewish constituency in the country, is the first black woman elected to Parliament and has represented the area since 1987. Earlier this week it was reported that she had been barred from standing as a candidate, despite having the Labour whip restored to her.

Abbott had been suspended by Labour in April 2023 for writing a letter to the Observer Newspaper claiming that Jews did not face racism, only “prejudice”, of the kind she said was also experienced by Irish people and redheads. She later apologised.

Speculation has raged this week about whether Abbott would be allowed to re-stand as a Labour candidate. On Thursday, the Hackney MP attacked her party’s leadership over what she called a “cull of left wingers”, in reference to the withdrawal of endorsement by Labour from Corbynista candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, Faiza Shaheen.

The JC understands that the Labour Party’s governing body, the National Executive Committee, will meet on Tuesday to rubber-stamp all official candidates and it is expected to approve Abbott as an official party candidate.

A Conservative Party spokesperson criticised Sir Keir, describing him as “a weak leader who's losing control of the Labour Party”.

They added: “You don't know what you're going to get if Keir Starmer becomes Prime Minister – apart from higher taxes on you and your family."