“Disproportionate, Undemocratic & Vindictive”: Leading British Stars Criticize Labour Party’s Handling Of Row Over UK’s First Black Female MP

Leading Black British stars, writers and execs have become the latest to criticize the Labour Party for its controversial mishandling of a row involving the UK’s first ever Black female MP.

Diane Abbott’s return, or departure, from the party she has been an MP for since 1987 has dominated UK front pages over the past week and the likes of Lenny Henry, David Harewood and Afua Hirsch have now had their say.

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In a damning open letter titled Loyalty Has Never Been Unconditional, the group of around 40 prominent Black figures said they are “appalled by the Labour Party’s treatment of Diane Abbott,” describing it as “disproportionate, undemocratic and vindictive.”

Prominent stars like Henry, Harewood and Adrian Lester are signatories, along with the likes of Yomi Adegoke, whose bestseller The List is being adapted for TV by A24, the BBC and HBO, and TV producers such as Pat Younge, Ayo Bakare and Maxine Watson.

Abbott, a staunch ally of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was suspended and investigated last year by Labour after writing a letter to The Observer in which she said Jews, Travellers and Irish people “are not all their lives subject to racism.” The comments were fiery given the Labour Party’s notorious recent struggles with antisemitism.

Abbott has been suspended since and, now that the general election is close, confusion has dominated the papers over the past few days over whether she has been reinstated and is allowed to stand again to be an MP, with differing messaging coming from senior Labour figures along with leader Keir Starmer and deputy Angela Rayner.

The open letter, which can be read in full below, said Starmer’s “denials on this matter must be treated with some scepticism.”

“Just last Friday he said the investigation into her conduct had not been resolved even though Abbott had satisfactorily completed the disciplinary process in February,” it claimed. “Indeed the fact that the party reached its conclusion several months ago and failed to readmit her to the parliamentary party until earlier this week, after the story broke, indicates a determination to humiliate her. Coming from a community where discrimination is a daily reality, we know unfairness when we see it.”

Labour’s mishandling of MP selection has been attracting ire from all sorts of places. Yesterday, Jon Stewart waded into the row, calling Labour’s decision to block a candidate from running for parliament over historical tweets related to Israel “the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson.”

He was referring to a tweet liked by Faiza Shaheen that featured his famous 2014 ‘We Need to Talk About Israel’ sketch, although Shaheen said this wasn’t the only tweet the Labour Party had been concerned about.

The UK general election takes place on July 4. Labour remains around 20 points ahead of the Conservatives in the polls.

The letter in full

‘Loyalty has never been unconditional’: Prominent Black Britons’ open letter about Diane Abbott and the Labour Party

We the undersigned are appalled at the Labour Party’s treatment of Diane Abbott, Britain’s first Black female MP.

Ms Abbott, one of Britain’s longest serving Members of Parliament, says she has been barred from standing in the constituency she has served for 37 years because of a poorly worded letter for which she immediately apologised.

We believe this is disproportionate, undemocratic and vindictive.

Sir Keir Starmer’s denials on this matter must be treated with some scepticism.

Just last Friday he said the investigation into her conduct had not been resolved even though Abbott had satisfactorily completed the disciplinary process in February.

Indeed the fact that the party reached its conclusion several months ago and failed to readmit her to the parliamentary party until earlier this week, after the story broke, indicates a determination to humiliate her.

Coming from a community where discrimination is a daily reality, we know unfairness when we see it.

Her treatment not only violates natural justice and common decency but is an example of the systemic racism highlighted in the Forde report on factionalism in the Labour Party commissioned by Starmer himself.

Criticisms of Diane Abbott, the barrister Martin Forde KC concluded, “are not simply a harsh response to perceived poor performance – they are expressions of visceral disgust, drawing (consciously or otherwise) on racist tropes, and they bear little resemblance to the criticisms of white male MPs elsewhere in the messages”.

An Amnesty International investigation into online abuse in 2017 found that Ms Abbott received almost half of all abuse against women MPs active on twitter in the first half of 2017.

Just two months ago it was revealed that the Tory party’s chief funder had told a meeting: when you see Ms Abbott on television “you just want to hate all Black women” And said the MP “should be shot”.

In the ensuing furore, the Labour party then tried to fundraise on the back of Abbott’s predicament, even as they continued to exclude her from the parliamentary party.

Given Labour’s recent embrace of others who have championed causes far more objectionable to its core values and its commitment to stamp out antisemitism in its ranks, the treatment of Abbott also smacks of a disgraceful double standard.

It is all the more upsetting given that Black communities have been among Labour’s most loyal supporters. But that loyalty has never been unconditional.

And if the disrespectful, callous, bullying treatment of the country’s most senior, veteran Black MP is not rectified and reversed, that relationship may be ruined beyond repair.

Signed,

David Harewood OBE, actor

Lenny Henry, comedian

Gary Younge, professor

Heather Small, singer

Yomi Adegoke, author

Afua Hirsch, broadcaster and columnist

Reni Eddo-lodge, author

Emma Dabiri, author

Misan Harriman, director

Linton Kwesi Johnson, poet

Simon Frederick, director 

Carys Afoko, podcaster

Adrian Lester, actor

Diane Evans, author

Jackie Kay, novelist

Azieb Pool, journalist and author

Lemn Sissay, poet

Giles Terera, actor

Patrick Younge, media executive

Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, activist, author & lawyer

Joseph Patterson, editor-in-chief at Complex UK

Lola Olokosie, teacher and writer

Bishop Dr. Desmond Jaddoo MBE, minister of religion and campaigner

Kayne Kawasaki, historian and cultural theorist

Ros Griffiths, community organiser

Afua Adom, journalist and broadcaster

Rowena Twesigwe, media and communications consultant

Lynda Smith, self-love & empowerment coach

Hugh Woozencroft, presenter

Maxine Watson, executive producer

Nelson Abbey, author

Scarlette Douglas, TV presenter

Juliana Olayinka, presenter

Ayo Bakare, TV producer

Marvyn Harrison, founder of Dope Black Dads

Priscilla Nwikpo, broadcaster

Ngozi Fulani, founder of Sistah Space

Rosanna Lewis, organiser at Sistah Space

Djanomi Robinson, operations manager at Sistah Space

Stushie, Miss Reggae Gold

Glenda 

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