July 17, 2025
By JamRadio Newsdesk | Thursday 17 July 2025 | 8:00pm
Veteran MP Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party for a second time and just one year after being in the crosshairs of racist abuse after Tory donor Frank Hester allegedly suggested she should be shot. Abbott's latest comments were made in a BBC interview this week in which she defended her previous remarks about the nature of racism in Britain.
Abbott, Britain’s first Black female MP and the longest-serving woman in the Commons, told BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme that she did not regret her 2023 letter to The Observer, in which she argued that racism experienced by people of colour is distinct from the prejudice faced by Jewish, Irish and Traveller communities.
She said:
“Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism… I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same.”
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The Labour Party has confirmed her administrative suspension, pending investigation. The move automatically suspends the whip, meaning Abbott will now sit as an independent MP.
This latest suspension has reignited tensions within the party and among Black communities, many of whom rallied behind Abbott last year when she was first disciplined over the letter. She later apologised and completed antisemitism training before being readmitted in time for the 2024 general election.
But Abbott’s defenders say the party has failed to support her — especially in the face of outrageous racist abuse she suffered from Tory donor Frank Hester, who allegedly said she made him “want to hate all Black women” and that she should be “shot.”
Writing in The Independent earlier this year, Abbott condemned both the Conservatives and Labour for their response:
“The position of the current leadership of the Labour Party is disappointing… They seemed equally reluctant to call out either racism or sexism.”
Despite widespread condemnation of Hester’s remarks — including from senior Conservatives — Labour’s initial focus was on demanding the Tories return the £10 million donation, rather than defending Abbott herself.
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She went on to describe the racism she faced within Labour as “shocking,” and said she felt the leadership had been “trying to get me out.”
Abbott’s suspension comes just hours after four other Labour MPs were disciplined for opposing welfare cuts — raising questions about whether the party is cracking down on dissent from the left.
As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: Diane Abbott’s treatment has once again exposed deep fractures in the Labour Party’s approach to race, discipline, and solidarity.
JamRadio will continue to follow this story. If you have thoughts or experiences to share, get in touch.
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