THE Labour party have suspended the whip from Diane Abbott MP pending an investigation after she wrote a letter about racism to a newspaper, the party has confirmed.
Abbott apologised on Sunday morning over comments she made in The Observer suggesting Irish, Jewish and Traveller people are not subject to racism “all their lives”.
She said on Twitter: “I am writing regarding my letter that was recently published in the Observer.
“I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my written remarks and disassociate myself from them.
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“The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused.
“Racism takes many forms and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, travellers and many others.
“Once again, I would like to apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.”
Abbott had been responding to a comment which suggested that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from racism in the UK.
My statement pic.twitter.com/Wu2h4nNOvN
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) April 23, 2023
She wrote: “It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice.
“But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.
“In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”
The Labour Party said comments made by Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, were “deeply offensive and wrong” as it moved to withdraw the whip from the former shadow home secretary.
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Shortly before opposition chief whip Alan Campbell’s decision was announced, Abbott had apologised for writing a letter to The Observer suggesting Irish, Jewish and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives”.
A Labour spokesman said: “The Labour Party completely condemns these comments, which are deeply offensive and wrong.
“The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.”
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