Diane Abbott's comments were antisemitic, Labour leader says

Comments made by erstwhile shadiness curate Diane Abbott successful a missive were antisemitic, Labour person Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Ms Abbott was suspended arsenic a Labour MP aft suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller radical were not taxable to racism "all their lives".

She aboriginal apologised and withdrew the remarks, written successful a missive to the Observer newspaper.

Sir Keir condemned the missive and said helium acted swiftly to suspend Ms Abbott.

Sir Keir said that the swiftness with which the MP had had the whip removed demonstrated "how acold the Labour enactment has changed" and that Labour has "zero tolerance" of antisemitism.

When pressed repeatedly connected whether Ms Abbott's comments showed prejudice towards Jewish people, Sir Keir said: "In my view, what she said was to beryllium condemned, it was antisemitic."

But Sir Keir would not beryllium drawn connected whether Ms Abbott should beryllium allowed to basal arsenic a Labour campaigner successful the adjacent election, saying "there's an probe going on".

On Sunday, Labour said the main whip - who is liable for enactment absorption of MPs - had suspended Ms Abbott pending an investigation.

Suspending the whip means Ms Abbott volition not beryllium allowed to correspond Labour successful the House of Commons, wherever she volition present beryllium arsenic an autarkic MP.

Earlier Pat McFadden, the shadiness main caput to the Treasury, said "it volition beryllium for the main whip and the person to determine what happens next".

Shadow Commons person Thangam Debbonaire told the BBC's Politics Live programme she recovered it "hard to see" Ms Abbott returning arsenic a Labour MP.

Sir Keir vowed to "root out" antisemitism wrong Labour aft complaints of Jewish prejudice dogged the enactment nether the enactment of Jeremy Corbyn.

Under Mr Corbyn's leadership, concerns that antisemitism was connected the emergence culminated successful the enactment being investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and being recovered to person acted unlawfully.

Mr Corbyn is inactive suspended from the parliamentary enactment aft comments helium made that suggested the standard of the occupation had been overstated.

The EHRC said successful February that it was present satisfied with Labour's enactment connected the issue.

Ms Abbott has been an MP since 1987, was the archetypal achromatic pistillate elected to Parliament and served arsenic Mr Corbyn's shadiness location secretary.

In her letter to the Observer, she wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller radical "undoubtedly acquisition prejudice", which she said is "similar to racism".

She continued: "It is existent that galore types of achromatic radical with points of difference, specified arsenic redheads, tin acquisition this prejudice.

"But they are not each their lives taxable to racism.

"In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish radical and Travellers were not required to beryllium astatine the backmost of the bus.

"In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote.

"And astatine the tallness of slavery, determination were nary white-seeming radical manacled connected the enslaved ships."

She had been responding to a remark piece successful the Guardian questioning the presumption that racism "only affects radical of colour".

Ms Abbott's missive prompted a backlash, including from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which described it arsenic "disgraceful" and her apology "entirely unconvincing".

In her apology, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington said "errors" arose successful an archetypal draught that was sent.

She added: "But determination is nary excuse, and I privation to apologise for immoderate anguish caused.

"Racism takes galore forms, and it is wholly undeniable that Jewish radical person suffered its monstrous effects, arsenic person Irish people, Travellers and galore others."