Starmer distances himself from Rayner and Sarwar in row over Abbott

Sir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from his deputy Angela Rayner and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar by refusing to say if he wants Diane Abbott to stand again for his party.

The Labour leader declined to join Ms Rayner and Mr Sarwar in backing the veteran left-winger’s Labour candidacy in the General Election.

Ms Rayner said she did not “think there’s any reason” why Ms Abbott should not stand, while Mr Sarwar later said: “I agree with Angela.”

Appearing alongside the two senior party figures at a campaign event in Scotland on Friday, Sir Keir reiterated that “no decision has been taken” on Ms Abbott when asked whether he agreed with them.

Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour last year after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism, sparking a long-running process which saw her sit as an Independent MP.

Ms Abbott, the first black female MP, had the Labour whip restored this week, but it was briefed out that she might be “barred” from running as a Labour candidate on July 4.

Sir Keir has repeatedly said that a decision will be made by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).

Asked whether he was sticking to that line at the Inverclyde event, the Labour leader replied: “No decision has been taken. So that’s the factual position. No decision to bar Diane.

“Obviously she’s got the whip back and she’s been a trailblazer for many years, but the fact remains no decision has been taken.”

Sir Keir stressed that his party has “fantastic candidates across the country, including many black candidates”, when asked to respond to criticism by a senior lawyer who investigated claims of racism within Labour.

Martin Forde KC told the Guardian that the party was “underestimating” the impact its treatment of Ms Abbott was having on voters, and that the row was leaving some black voters without a “political home”.

“I’d say we’ve got fantastic candidates across the country, including many black candidates, leading candidates,” Sir Keir said.

“We’re either going to get more of the chaos and division under the Tories or we’re going to turn a page with Labour and when we started selecting our candidates, I was very clear with the team, I wanted the highest quality candidates on the pitch for the task ahead.”

Labour has faced claims of a “purge” of left-wing candidates.

As well as the questions surrounding Ms Abbott, the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was MP for Brighton Kemptown, and the decision not to endorse candidate Faiza Shaheen in Chingford and Woodford Green have also come in for criticism.

Ms Shaheen has said she is in shock and feels she is the victim of a “huge injustice” after not being endorsed as the Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green.

In response, Ms Abbott said: “Appalling. Whose clever idea has it been to have a cull of left wingers?”

Ms Shaheen was blocked after liking a series of social media posts on X, formerly Twitter, that allegedly downplayed antisemitism accusations.

In a possible sign she could run as an Independent, she said “this is not the end of my story”, and she also revealed she would speak to her legal team about Labour’s decision.

Labour deputy leader Ms Rayner denied there was a “purge”, but said “I don’t think there’s any reason” why Ms Abbott should not stand and the row over her future was “not a great look”.

Mr Sarwar also weighed in, saying “I agree with Angela” that there was no reason Ms Abbott should not stand.

He told BBC Breakfast: “We’ve had the disciplinary process, and she’s had the whip restored.

“It’s now for the NEC to do the endorsements of candidates and I hope people will recognise that Diane Abbott is a trailblazer, someone with a strong history in the Labour Party.”

Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle suggested to Times Radio that Labour was responding to a situation Ms Abbott had “got herself into”.

He also said Labour was trying to resolve the situation in a way which is “dignified”, but later told GB News that the party should not have to apologise for “raising the standards” of its members following the spate of deselections.

Mr Russell-Moyle cannot stand in the July 4 election after being suspended by Labour over what he called a “vexatious and politically motivated complaint” against him.

Meanwhile, Labour is celebrating former Tory MP Mark Logan joining the party.

Mr Logan, who represented Bolton North East until Parliament dissolved ahead of the election, said the Conservatives were “unrecognisable” from the party he had joined.

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told Sky News he was disappointed by his former colleague’s decision to quit the Tories.

“I’m disappointed, and of course we’re disappointed when those things happen, but the big picture here, and there’s a lot at stake here, over and above what Mark Logan may or may not decide to have done, is the future of our country,” he said.

As campaigning continues, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit the North West of England, following an announcement by the Conservatives to crack down on fly-tippers with points on their driving licenses.