General election 2024: Diane Abbott issues defiant MP pledge as Sunak dismisses Labour’s lead in polls
Diane Abbott has vowed to be the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington “as long as it is possible” amid a row over her political future as Rishi Sunak has dismissed Labour’s lead in the polls.
Addressing a crowd outside Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday evening, the Labour veteran said: “You have always stood with me in good times and bad and I will always stand with you.”
Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday, but the question of whether or not she will be able to stand as a candidate for the party in the general election remains mired in uncertainty.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had sent a message of support to Ms Abbott as he spoke at a rally in north London where he launched his own independent campaign for the Islington North seat after being banned from running for Labour.
Meanwhile, during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s election campaign on Tuesday, a worker at a defence firm in Devon pointed out the Tory party was “quite a way behind Labour” in the polls on Wednesday.
Mr Sunak replied: “The only poll that matters is the one on July 4 when all of you get to choose our future, that’s the one that I’m focused on.”
Key Points
‘When I heard the news I went potty’: Diane Abbott’s Hackney constituents react to Labour ‘election ban’
Why is this election so divided between Britain’s old and young?
Rishi Sunak targeting core older voters while Labour woos the young is widening the age gap in politics, says Sean O’Grady:
In this battle for votes it is often said there isn’t much difference between Labour and the Conservatives, especially on the broad thrust of economic policy. But one of the more striking features of the campaign is the very different ways the two main parties are chasing the support of particular generations.
Corbyn slams news of Royal Mail becoming a billionaire’s ‘plaything’
Jeremy Corbyn commented on the news that Royal Mail agreed to a multi-billion deal takeover by a Czech billionaire.
He said: “Is it really on that a crucial public service like the Royal Mail should become a plaything of a billionaire?”
Corbyn says he sent a message to support for Diane Abbott
Jeremy Corbyn has said he sent a message to support to Diane Abbott.
He added: “Democracy is not just about your right to vote every four years.
“It is not about shutting down dissent.”
Corbyn launches campaign to be an Independent MP for Islington North
Jeremy Corbyn has launched his campaign to be an Independent MP for Islington North.
He said: “Politics should be about hope. Politics should be about making sure those who are silenced are heard, those who are pushed aside are brought back in, those whose needs are so often not met.
“It is also about being denied. Democracy has been denied.
“If you shut down the voice of people, that democratic voice, you’ve got problems.”
Labour descends into chaos over botched Diane Abbott suspension
Labour’s election campaign descended into chaos as the future of Diane Abbott threatened to derail the party’s important announcements on health and the economy.
The future of the trail blazing MP for Hackney North, who was the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, was thrown into confusion when she revealed she had been barred from standing again despite having the party whip restored following months of suspension.
But within hours, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insisted that Ms Abbott had “not been barred” to stand as a candidate as he tried to promote Labour’s policy on cutting NHS waiting lists.
MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle suspended from Labour Party after complaint
The Brighton Kemptown MP said in a statement that he received an administrative suspension letter “out of the blue”.
He said: “Someone (who remains anonymous to me) has made what I believe to be a vexatious and politically motivated complaint about my behaviour eight years ago. This is a false allegation that I dispute totally and I believe it was designed to disrupt this election.
Diane Abbott vows to be MP ‘as long as it is possible’
Labour veteran Diane Abbott has vowed to be the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington “as long as it is possible”.
Addressing a crowd outside Hackney Town Hall, Ms Abbott said: “You have always stood with me in good times and bad and I will always stand with you.”
She continued: “I remember when I first ran as a Labour MP all the way back in 1987. People thought I couldn’t win. People thought you couldn’t elect a black woman to Parliament because it had never been done before.
“But local people went out, campaigned, knocked on doors and made me Britain’s first black woman Member of Parliament.
“And I have to keep faith with that loyalty, I have to keep faith with my principles, I have to keep faith with supporting and speaking up for equalities, poor people, for the community here in Hackney.
“So I promise you that as long as it is possible, I will be the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.”