Diane Abbott: Starmer treated me as a 'non person'

Labour MP Diane Abbott has accused Sir Keir Starmer of treating her arsenic a "non-person", during the fallout aft a Tory donor made racist comments astir her.

Abbott said the comments by exertion tycoon Frank Hester made her consciousness successful information - and she had expected "more support" from her party.

In an interrogation with BBC Newsnight, Abbott besides claimed her suspension from Labour past twelvemonth implicit alleged antisemitic comments was a "move against me", arsenic Sir Keir Starmer wanted to "finish his wide retired of the Labour left".

A Labour spokesperson said the premier curate has "great respect" for Abbott and it was "simply incorrect to accidental that determination was immoderate program being pushed by the enactment to unit her out".

Abbott - who was the archetypal achromatic pistillate to go an MP - has fixed her archetypal afloat BBC interrogation astir Mr Hester's comments since they emerged successful March.

The Guardian reported that businessman Mr Hester - who has donated £20m to the Conservative Party since the commencement of 2023 - said successful 2019: "It's similar trying not to beryllium racist but you spot Diane Abbott connected the TV, and you're conscionable similar I hate, you conscionable privation to hatred each achromatic women due to the fact that she's there, and I don't hatred each achromatic women astatine all, but I deliberation she should beryllium shot."

Mr Hester apologised for his "rude" remarks, but denied they were to bash with her sex oregon the colour of her skin.

Abbott has told Newsnight that his comments made her consciousness successful danger, saying "one of the reasons it made maine frightened is 2 MPs person been killed successful caller years" - referring to the deaths of Jo Cox successful 2016 and Sir David Amess successful 2021.

She said comments specified arsenic Mr Hester's "wind up a definite benignant of nutcase and it makes you much vulnerable".

And the seasoned MP added that astatine the clip the Labour person "never reached retired to maine personally and did dainty maine arsenic a non-person".

"If idiosyncratic was threatening to person you shot, you would person felt your enactment would person offered you much support, giving you proposal connected information and security, adjacent benignant of commiserated with you. And nary of that happened."

Abbott besides spoke astir her suspension from Labour successful April 2023, aft penning a missive to the Observer paper successful which she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller radical were not taxable to racism "all their lives".

She apologised and withdrew her remarks. A time later, Starmer said the missive was antisemitic and an probe was begun.

As Newsnight revealed successful May, that enquiry was completed successful December, with Abbott being fixed a ceremonial informing and completing a people connected antisemitism. However she was not told whether she would beryllium allowed to basal arsenic a Labour campaigner successful her constituency astatine the wide election.

Abbott told Newsnight she felt "very low" and "depressed" during the enquiry into her due to the fact that she believed the enactment was preparing to "get escaped of maine altogether arsenic an MP".

She said she felt she was treated otherwise compared to different MPs who had made alleged antisemitic comments - and said she was ne'er called for an interrogation oregon adjacent spoken to, a portion of the enquiry and was near "in limbo".

"I deliberation that Keir Starmer wanted to decorativeness his clear-out of the near successful the parliamentary Labour Party and by penning a precise ill-advised letter, I gave him the accidental to determination against me.

"And I deliberation what they were trying to bash was to drawstring retired and drawstring retired the investigation. So erstwhile a wide predetermination is astir the corner, they could conscionable determination maine retired of the mode arsenic a Labour campaigner due to the fact that I wouldn't beryllium successful the parliamentary Labour Party, and they would parachute successful determination else".

When asked wherefore the person would privation her ejected from the enactment permanently she said it was due to the fact that she "was 1 of the past starring near wingers successful the parliamentary Labour Party".

"Keir Starmer is ever saying, It’s the caller Labour Party... and however could you marque it look much caller than by getting escaped of Diane Abbott?"

In May, aft days of speculation successful the pb up to the wide predetermination campaign, Starmer gave his blessing for Abbott to basal successful her seat.

But Abbott told Newsnight she was indirectly offered a woody done a "third party", which would person seen her basal down up of the predetermination – a woody she said she rejected.

"I deliberation the thought was that they would reconstruct the whip successful the morning. And past I would basal down successful the afternoon; not the adjacent day, not the adjacent week, but successful the afternoon. And I felt that was designed to humiliate me."

When asked if she was antisemitic, Abbott said nary and apologised again for her letter, saying it was ne'er her volition to origin immoderate offence.

The Labour spokesperson said Abbott "continues to beryllium an inspiration to many" and the enactment values her "significant publication to nationalist life”.

They said: "There is nary uncertainty that she has received the astir maltreatment of immoderate MP conscionable due to the fact that of her sex and the colour of her skin, and that is wholly reprehensible and wrong.

“The party, including Keir Starmer, vocally condemned Frank Hester’s vile comments and reached retired to Diane astatine the clip to connection support."

Watch Diane Abbott's interrogation successful afloat connected Newsnight connected BBC Two astatine 22:30 BST.