Amina Taylor | Is Labour hanging Diane Abbott out to dry?

Imagine the scenario; you are at your high-profile job where you have been a standout employee and loyal servant to the company for decades. Becasue of a change in upper management, you find yourself the subject of an investigation.

You expect said investigation will be fairly conducted with a degree of transparency befitting your years of service, but you start hearing whispers in the break room that members of the hiring committee have been informally briefing your potential replacements about how best they could interview for your job, even though, as far as you’re aware, you are still a member of the team.

Would this not be the height of professional foolishness and a real indicator that senior management has no intention of conducting a fair hearing into your supposed missteps because they already have your successor lined up, briefed and ready to go?

Well, you see, for the first black woman elected to Parliament, Diane Abbott, this scenario is not a fictitious one. It’s in fact the latest in a set of events that expose how the Labour party under Sir Keir Starmer actually views this stalwart of the British political scene.

Elected to Parliament in 1987 when most front benchers were still learning how to construct paragraphs for their school essays, Diane Julie Abbott was already breaking political barriers and carving her name in the very fabric of British politics – whether the foaming-at-the-mouth racists liked it or not.

It seems Miss Abbott’s biggest political enemies are not members of the far right, but the internal Labour machinery that is seemingly prepared to hang the ‘Mother of the House’ out to dry.

STORM IN A TEACUP

Now, let me bring you up to speed on the latest round of disrespect aimed at Britain’s Political Mother. In 2023 – April to be precise – in a letter drafted by Diane Abbott that appeared in the Observer newspaper, she was accused of essentially saying there’s a hierarchy of racism where Jews and travellers, for example, would immediately be deemed as a minority but black people would not be afforded the same ‘privilege’, as their reality as a minority was on full display.

I’m paraphrasing here, but you get the general idea. The furore that followed was obviously a storm in a teacup and amplified for political gain. It was the lead-up to the general election and, as a strong voice on the left, Diane Abbott was accused of, among other things, fuelling anti-Semitism and anti-traveller sentiments. Anyone who has even remotely studied Miss Abbott’s political work knows this is absolute garbage.

Diane Abbott is a politician whose track record on fighting all forms of racism speaks for itself and the Johnny-come-latelies who had something to say were clearly a) being wilfully ignorant as to the lived experience of black people, or were b) attempting to generate some political capital from what was admittedly a clumsily presented argument by Miss Abbott. The bones of which, however, continue to hold true.

Abbott lost the Labour whip and was within a hair’s breadth of being kicked out of the party she had served for decades. She was facing the general elections either on the outside looking in, or trying to scramble together a team to fight for the seat as an Independent.

After being reinstated just in time to win by a clear majority in a safe seat for Labour just over a year later, Miss Abbott was once again suspended from the party over the same issue when she said in a BBC interview earlier this summer that she did not regret the comments that had landed her in hot water.

DENIED DISCUSSION

Perhaps, in anticipation of the permanent withdrawal of the party whip, it has been reported that conversations have been taking place between potential contenders for the safe Hackney seat and figures within Labour’s national executive committee (or the NEC). A Labour insider has said informal advice has been given to potential candidates telling them how to prepare.

In other words, the Labour machinery is already gearing up to ensure that they can get a head-start on the matter in the almost inevitable likelihood that Diane Abbott will be forced to stand down, serve as an Independent or be forced out of political life altogether.

Publicly, Labour has denied that there’s been any discussion of potential successors, as long as the investigation into Miss Abbott’s conduct is ongoing. They also state that no NEC meetings have taken place about the selection of any alternative candidates, or any formal proposals put to members about a selection process.

One just has to read between the lines. Any potential prepping of future candidates does not have to be done on a formal basis within the established structure of the NEC. It can literally be an informal one-on-one briefing with no paper/online trail. So, miraculously, when the verdict is handed down and Diane Abbott is no longer a Labour MP, here comes the candidate hustings. In true dignified Ms Abbott fashion, the long-time politician has only said “it does seem to be rather pre-empting the results of the investigation”. Quite.

STEADFASTNESS AND FORTITUDE

Now, we know that Diane Abbott is a seasoned political operator and would’ve known that her refusal to distance herself from her comments from 2023 would lead to controversy. She must also have understood that the Labour party she joined is perhaps not quite the Labour party she represents in 2025 – or did, for that matter. The fact that someone speaking about their lived experience could be the thing that sees them maligned and cast out of the party they helped to build, borders on the ridiculous. Yet, here we are.

Diane Abbott is one of the most publicly abused politicians, and the fact she takes the hits and just keeps rolling is testament to her amazing power of steadfastness and fortitude. But, when it seems you’re not being fully embraced by those you served so loyally, the time might have come for Miss Abbott to simply declare ‘I said what I said’ and let the chips fall where they may. You’ve already served history, Miss Abbott, you’ve got nothing left to prove and, if they continue to come for you, we ride at dawn.

Amina Taylor is a journalist and broadcaster. She is the former editor of ‘Pride ‘magazine and works as producer, presenter and correspondent with Press TV in London.