UK

Diane Abbott saga “clouding” how Black voters see Labour – MP


Meanwhile Labour's equalities spokesperson tells their annual conference a Starmer government will "finish the job" of tackling structural racism

Written by: Lester Holloway

8th October 2023

LABOUR ACTIVISTS called on Sir Keir Starmer not to take Black votes for granted today, as they held a rally in support of reinstating Diane Abbott MP.

Around 50 members held a protest outside the annual conference hall as the party faithful gathered in Liverpool this afternoon.

Abbott was suspended from the parliamentary party four months ago after she apologised for writing a letter to The Observer which argued that anti-racism is not the same as “prejudice” experienced by white minorities.

Bell Riberio-Addy, the Labour MP for Streatham, said that the long-running investigation was “clouding” how many Black voters feel about Labour and that it was crucial the party resolved this situation by readmitting Abbott as a general election is approaching.WAKE UP CALL: Bell Riberio-Addy says Labour are not considering how the Diane Abbott investigation is impacting on Black voters

She was joined by Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, who said Labour were treating MPs who had caused offence differently. He said: “It seems to be a matter of who you are rather than what you’ve done.”

Riberio-Addy told the crowd: “Diane is not asking for any special treatment, she is just asking to have the whip restored. All she wants is to be back in the party to represent her constituents. MISSION: Anneliese Dodds said Starmer will “finish the job” of tackling systemic racism following the achievements of the last Labour government

“I don’t think it’s right that she is being treated in this way. I don’t think people have realised how this has clouded how some people see the party. We’re leading up to a general election [and] I think it’s so important that we remain united… and people don’t take kindly to how Diane has been treated.”

Yesterday, The Voice published results of our online poll which found that 80 percent of Black Brits say they would reconsider how they vote if Abbott was prevented from standing for Labour at the election, expected next year.

Labour were also under pressure over plans to scrap the roles of equalities officers for constituency parties, including ‘BAME’ officers. BATTLING: Veteran MP Diane Abbott has a decades-long track record of fighting for equality (Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Images)

Mish Rahman, a member of the party’s ruling National Executive Committee, said today: “This rule change should be put in the bin where it belongs.”

Local members argue that abolishing the posts sends the signal that sections of society which face discrimination are not important or welcome in the party.

Unite the Union, Labour’s biggest donor, announced their intention to vote against the plan to scrap the officer posts.

Lucie Scott, BAME officer for Abbott’s constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said: “Labour should not be taking the Black vote for granted.

“We find ourselves in a situation where Black members are being disenfranchised. It’s not just about Diane, it’s about how Black members are treated.

“If we don’t see a fair process with Diane then we can see there is no fair process [for us].”

Last month Abbott slammed the “sham” investigation against her, saying it was no longer being conducted by the whips office in parliament but instead by HQ party officials working for the leader Sir Keir Starmer who had already declared her guilty.

She hit out at the “smears” that she was accused of anti-Semitism, pointing out that she was not being investigated for that. And she pointed out that several MPs had committed far worse offences and were let back into the party.

MP Neil Coyle was readmitted after racially abusing a journalist, and MPs Barry Sheerman and Steve Reed did not face investigations, suspensions or public condemnations after making anti-Semitic comments.

In 2020, Reed called a Jewish donor a “puppet master”, and the same year Sheerman tweeted in reference to two Jewish businessmen – who were in line for appointments to the Lords, that the process was “run on silver shekels.”

Anneliese Dodds, Labour’s shadow minister for equalities, told the party conference today that a Starmer government would “finish the job” of tackling systemic racism in Britain.

She said: “The Tories have stood by as inequality has soared. Only Labour will stand up and do something about it.

“We’ll break down barriers to opportunity by embedding equality at the heart of everything government does, genuinely assessing the impact of new policies on equality, and defending the Equality Act from Conservative attack.

“The last Labour government did more to advance equality than any in history.

“The next will finish the job and break new ground by tackling the inequalities we face today.

“Like structural racism that scars our society, leaving Black, Asian and ethnic minority families worse off, in poorer health and bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis.”