Diane Abbott "Won't be Allowed to Stand for Labour Again", says Labour insider – While Starmer Slams Her as 'Anti-Semitic'

Labour leader Keir Starmer has openly called Diane Abbott anti-Semitic over a letter she wrote in the Observer newspaper – while a Labour MP's aid has said that the incident is set to be used as a reason to further permanently purge far-left Corbynistas, including Abbott.

Abbott, who has previously been slammed for making racist comments against white people, was suspended as a Labour MP earlier this weekend after suggesting that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism "all their lives".

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

She continued "It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships."

Abbott had been responding to a comment piece in the Guardian questioning the view that racism "only affects people of colour".

She later apologised and withdrew the remarks, blaming their inclusion on an error made by the Observer, which she claims printed a draft of her letter that she later amended.

"Diane's words were inexcusable." the aid of a prominent West Midlands Labour MP said. "The Labour Party stands for everybody, no matter their background or religious beliefs. For years now, Diane and her pals have brought embarrassment on the party and alienated the electorate – forever giving the right-wing media ammunition to give the British public the false impression that our party contains a serious element of anti-Semitism. It doesn't."

"Like every decent person, Labour politicians, members, and our supporters fully acknowledge the horrific prejudice that members of the Jewish community have experienced throughout history, and sadly continue to face. We won’t tolerate it, and as Sir Keir is demonstrating in his exemplary leadership, the tiny number of members found to hold such vile views – be they grass-roots campaigners or members of parliament – will quickly find that they are no longer welcome in the Labour Party".

Asked if she believed Abbott's suspension to be sufficient, the aid said "Believe me, the ongoing investigation is just a formality – but her words are there in black and white. Eyes have been on Diane for a little while now. Already, behind the scenes, senior members of Parliament, and members of the NEC, are taking steps to ensure that she [Abbott] joins Jeremy, who also won't be wearing red at the next election, let me assure you of that".

Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the party in 2020 after downplaying the conclusions of an EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission).

The report stated that, after investigating a flood of complaints "Our investigation found that the Labour Party has committed unlawful acts. We have published a report about our findings, including our recommendations for change. The Labour Party is now legally obliged to draft an action plan to tackle the unlawful act findings we made. This should be based on our recommendations." adding "Once the action plan is agreed, we will continue to monitor it. If the Labour Party fails to live up to its commitments in the legally binding action plan, then we may take enforcement action."

Since the dismal results for the Labour Party at the last General Election, and following the report's damning conclusion, Starmer has sought to repair the party's damaged public image.

Over the past year, dozens of Labour politicians, mainly at local level, have been deselected – many of them having been staunch supporters of Jeremy Corbyn.

Today, Sir Keir condemned the letter and said that he had acted "swiftly" to suspend Ms Abbott.

Starmer said that the swiftness with which the MP had had the whip removed demonstrated "how far the Labour party has changed" and that Labour has "zero tolerance" of anti-Semitism.

When pressed repeatedly on whether Ms Abbott's comments showed prejudice towards Jewish people, he added "In my view, what she said was to be condemned, it was anti-Semitic."