Why Labour had little choice but to suspend Diane Abbott again
By: | Published: 2025-07-17 23:53:00 | Source: www.bbc.com
Political parties, like the rest of us, are forever confronting choices.
But, also like the rest of us, sometimes those choices are rather limited if maintaining consistency is seen to be important.
It is this that lies at the heart of the latest chapter in the long running saga of Diane Abbott and the Labour Party.
A saga whose central character is pioneering and history making: Diane Abbott was the first black woman ever elected to the House of Commons and is now the Mother of the House, the most long standing female MP, having been first elected in 1987.
The roots of this latest row are traced back to April 2023, when Abbott wrote a 118 word letter to The Observer newspaper.
You can read that letter here.
Her precise words then and her precise words now are worth attention, but what…
