I am both glad this nonsense is over and still annoyed it ever happened.

  • frankPodmoreOP
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    20 days ago

    Very short summary:

    She said something foolish and antisemitic, and was suspended from the party. She then was reinstated to the party very late in the day, but there were rumours she wouldn’t be allowed to run as a Labour candidate again, then rumours that she would run, but against Labour, but now she say she’s back and she’s running for Labour.

    Slightly more detailed summary:

    Diane Abbott published a letter which claimed that Jews didn’t experience real racism because they mostly pass as white. People were very annoyed about this because it’s obviously not true, but also because of Labour recently having been found to be institutionally antisemitic during the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn (a close political ally of Diane Abbott). She was quickly suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), pending a full investigation. She almost immediately apologised, retracted what she said in the letter and agreed to attend some sort of anti- antisemitism course.

    Recently, it was rumoured (I don’t think actually confirmed) that the investigation had finished months ago and recommended no further sanction, but the findings weren’t made public or even given to Abbott. She was allowed back in to the PLP at the beginning of the general election campaign, but there was another rumour that she wasn’t going to be allowed to run in the election, which the party refused to confirm or deny, saying it was an internal matter for the National Executive Committee. Various senior party figures then said they thought she should be allowed to run, including, eventually, Keir Starmer.

    There were then further rumours that Abbott was so upset by the debacle that she might run against Labour. But, as the headline says, she’s now decided to stand for Labour.

    • HumanPenguin@feddit.uk
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      20 days ago

      Ill add to this. There are viable rumera that right wing labour members spread the rumers about her not being allowed to stand. Viable because the party leadership is confirming no one had their authority to message Diane Abbottsaying she was nor able to stand. So some crap happened somewhere.