Diane Abbott returns to Labour, a year after her suspension over comments about racism.
Published On 30 Jul 2026
Britain’s Labour Party has readmitted Diane Abbott, the country’s longest-serving female MP, ending a suspension she received under the party’s previous leadership over controversial comments she made about racism.
The party confirmed on Thursday that Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, had been readmitted and had the whip restored – the formal party endorsement needed to sit as a Labour MP rather than an independent – following a process conducted under party rules and approved by an independent review board. She had been suspended in July 2025 after telling the BBC she did not regret earlier remarks suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people did not experience racism in the same way as people targeted because of skin colour.
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Abbott said in a statement on social media that she had been issued a formal warning over a separate post in which she referred to “the Israeli Defence Force [the Israeli army] as the ‘Jewish Defence Force’”. She said the wording had wrongly conflated the actions of the Israeli state with the Jewish community, adding she was “deeply sorry for any hurt caused”.
Joani Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, was also reinstated on Thursday. She had voluntarily stepped back from the party after her husband was arrested on suspicion of assisting China’s intelligence service.
A Labour spokesperson said the readmission decisions had been made without input from party leadership and without political influence.
They do, however, come soon after a change of leadership in the party, with Andy Burnham succeeding Keir Starmer as party leader and UK prime minister earlier this month, and seeking to distance himself from his predecessor.
Abbott’s case had divided opinion within the party. Popular on the left wing of the party, and known as ‘Auntie Di’ by her supporters, more than 38,000 people signed a petition calling for her reinstatement. The first Black female MP when she was elected in 1987, Abbott has been a vocal campaigner against racism in the United Kingdom.
However, some Jewish organisations, including the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council, had urged caution, saying any restoration of the whip needed clear evidence of genuine remorse.
Abbott had first been suspended for her comments on racism in 2023, before being readmitted the following year, and then suspended again in 2025 after her BBC interview. Critics of Starmer accuse his leadership team of forcing out Abbott and MPs on the left of the party.
Two Labour MPs remain suspended. Karl Turner was suspended in March, reportedly over comments deemed disrespectful towards colleagues, though he has said the move was actually linked to his criticism of government policy on jury trials. Dan Norris, MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, was suspended after being arrested on suspicion of sexual offences.
