UK
Time is running out. Leading Labour Movement voices say restore the whip to Diane Abbott now
By Ben Hayes
The announcement of the General Election on July 4th has prompted a wave of vocal support for leading movement figure and Britain’s first black woman MP, Diane Abbott. A grassroots petition has seen over 15,000 activists calling on Keir Starmer to restore the whip, adding to the numerous shows of local support for Diane from Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP members and constituents.
Amongst those urging Starmer to reinstate the former Shadow Home Secretary as a Labour MP are prominent Labour voices, campaign groups and public figures.
Shami Chakrabarti, Labour Peer, barrister, human rights activist and former Shadow Attorney General drew comparisons to the Party’s welcome of hard-right Tory MP Natalie Elphicke.
“If the tent is big enough for her, I feel sure that Britain’s first Black woman MP, who has sustained more racist and misogynist abuse than anyone, will have her whip restored urgently,”
Leading left parliamentarian and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell added his voice to the call, appealing to Starmer “to restore the whip to Diane and let her stand as a Labour candidate. As the first black woman MP and with her campaigning record on behalf of her community and the Labour Party she is an iconic figure and especially inspiring to young black women. I am just asking for her to be treated fairly.”
Responding to news that the Tories’ single biggest donor made racist and hate-filled remarks about the former Shadow Home Secretary, a number of General Secretaries wrote to Keir Starmer calling for the whip to be restored.
Maryam Eslamdoust, TSSA; Dave Ward, CWU; Mick Whelan, ASLEF; and Matt Wrack, FBU stated in the letter that Labour “has rightly strongly criticised the abuse which has now publicly emerged, but we urge you to stand with Diane Abbott by restoring the whip to her, demonstrating our commitment to combating racism within our party and society at large.”
Trade unionists from the NEU and UCU have also backed the call – with the NEU passing a motion at their annual conference showing solidarity with Diane.
Following the announcement of the General Election this week, Momentum released the following statement calling for the whip to be restored:
“Keir Starmer rightly called Diane Abbott a ‘trailblazer’ as Britain’s first black woman MP. He should now reinstate her as a Labour MP and let her run as the Labour candidate in Hackney North & Stoke Newington, as local members voted. Anything less is an insult to Diane, her constituents and all those who have been inspired by her example.”
The support shown for Diane does not just come from the left or trade union movement, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner MP, Harriet Harman MP and Guardian writer Polly Toynbee have also said that Diane should remain a Labour MP.
With many recommendations of the Forde report into racism, sexism and bullying within the Labour Party yet to be implemented, with much of the hatred directed at Diane, black communities around the country will have their eye on how the party has treated her.
Richard Sudan, Journalist for Britain’s only black national newspaper The Voice, noted that “her fate will provide a litmus test for many undecided voters as to whether they can trust Labour in government, or whether their support will be taken for granted.”
Time is now running out, to stand as a Parliamentary Candidate for Labour, she must be reinstated by June 4th. Diane Abbott has faced horrendous misogynistic and racist abuse throughout her career, what message is the Labour Party sending when they treat her unfairly, leaving her in limbo for over a year – even attempting to cash in off the abuse directed at her.
Enough is enough. Restore the whip to Diane Abbott.
- Over 15,000 activists have signed a petition to Keir Starmer calling on him to restore the whip to Diane Abbott. Add your name here.
Persistent gender imbalances in UK political candidate selections: A call for systemic reform
In a comprehensive analysis by Dr. Sofía Collignon, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics at Queen Mary University of London, new light has been shed on the persistent gender disparities in the selection of parliamentary candidates by the U.K.'s Conservative and Labor parties.
Responding to a recent report by the Financial Times, Dr. Collignon's paper highlights the urgent need for systemic reforms to address these imbalances and promote gender equality in British politics.
The article, "Addressing Barriers to Women's Representation in Party Candidate Selections," published in the political and social reform dedicated journal The Political Quarterly, reveals that the Conservative Party continues to nominate a significantly higher proportion of men compared to women.
Of 134 parliamentary selections by the Conservatives, a striking 70% are men. In contrast, Labor's selection shows a more balanced approach, with 56% of their 206 candidates being men. This disparity is reflective of a broader trend observed over the years, notably during the 2019 general election where Labor presented more women candidates than men, marking a historic first for U.K. politics.
Despite efforts by Conservative women's groups such as Women2Win, which has been actively encouraging and supporting female candidates since the mid-2000s, the party has made little progress.
The reasons often cited—such as a lack of supply of female candidates, local candidate preferences, and harassment, abuse, and intimidation (HAI)—are seen as inadequate in addressing the deeper, systemic issues within the party's recruitment processes and organizational culture.
r. Collignon's paper argues that these explanations shift the blame onto individual women rather than addressing the structural barriers within the Conservative Party. She emphasizes the need for a shift in focus from "fixing women" to reforming party structures and practices. Drawing on extensive empirical evidence, she advocates for the implementation of quotas and greater transparency in candidate selection processes.
Quotas, which have proven effective globally, are highlighted as a potential quick fix to improve gender representation. Labor's success with all-women shortlists (AWS) since the 1997 general election is cited as a model that could be emulated. However, the Conservative Party has traditionally resisted such measures, necessitating alternative approaches.
One such approach is the enactment of section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, which mandates political parties to publish data on the protected characteristics of their selected candidates. This would enable better monitoring and accountability, encouraging parties to adopt more inclusive selection practices.
Additionally, Dr. Collignon calls for a formal gender and diversity-sensitive political party (G/DSPP) audit. This would involve a thorough assessment of party infrastructure and culture, identifying necessary changes to make them more inclusive and supportive of diverse candidates.
The issue of HAI, while significant, is found to affect women across party lines, diminishing its validity as a sole explanation for the Conservative Party's gender imbalance. The research underscores the need for comprehensive support systems to protect and assist candidates facing such challenges.
In conclusion, Dr. Collignon's paper is a clarion call for the Conservative Party to undertake meaningful reforms if it hopes to rectify the under-representation of women among its MPs. With the next general election on the horizon, there is still time for the party to make significant strides toward gender equality, ensuring a more representative and inclusive political landscape in the U.K.
More information: Sofia Collignon, Addressing Barriers to Women's Representation in Party Candidate Selections, The Political Quarterly (2024). DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.13397
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