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MP Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party over comments about racism

MP Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party over comments about racism

Yahoo5 days ago
MP Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party for a second time, a spokesperson said, after she doubled down on comments about racism for which she had previously apologised.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.'
The move means the whip is automatically suspended in the House of Commons for the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, it is understood.
Ms Abbott was suspended by the Labour Party in 2023 after writing a letter to the Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that seen by other groups.
She apologised for any anguish caused by the remarks, which drew criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups, and was readmitted to the party before the 2024 general election.
But in a new interview with BBC Radio 4's Reflections programme, she said she did not look back on the incident with regret.
'No, not at all,' she told the BBC.
'Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism, because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know.
'You don't know unless you stop to speak to them or you're in a meeting with them.
'But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they're black. They are different types of racism.'
She added: 'I just think that it's silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism.'
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was asked if she was disappointed by the comments.
'I was. There's no place for antisemitism in the Labour party, and obviously the Labour party has processes for that,' she told The Guardian.
'Diane had reflected on how she'd put that article together, and said that 'was not supposed to be the version', and now to double down and say 'Well, actually I didn't mean that. I actually meant what I originally said', I think is a real challenge.'
Ms Abbott is the longest-serving female MP in the Commons, having entered Parliament in 1987.
She said she was 'grateful' to be a Labour MP in the BBC interview, but that she was sure the party leadership had been 'trying to get me out'.
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Comedian Nish Kumar on why Trump isn't actually 'good' for comedy: 'He's not one of your crack smoking mayors'
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Yahoo

time17 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Comedian Nish Kumar on why Trump isn't actually 'good' for comedy: 'He's not one of your crack smoking mayors'

Nish Kumar reflects on political satire, social media and the evolving global reach of stand-up comedy ahead of his Just For Laughs shows in Montreal LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Nish Kumar attends Day 1 of The Podcast Show at the Business Design Centre on May 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Chapman/) As the Just For Laughs comedy festival continues this week, shows from comedian Nish Kumar are sure to be a highlight of the Montreal summer staple. While Kumar sells out stand-up shows around the world, and for good reason because he's one of the best, he said that he has a "sentimental fondness" for taking part in a festival. "The shows are always really good fun. ... There's an international circuit of comedians that do these things, that do Montreal, that do Edinburgh, that do Melbourne, and ... it's a really great opportunity to catch up with some friends, and also get to see some cool stuff as well," Kumar told Yahoo Canada. 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Comedian Nish Kumar on why Trump isn't actually 'good' for comedy: 'He's not one of your crack smoking mayors'
Comedian Nish Kumar on why Trump isn't actually 'good' for comedy: 'He's not one of your crack smoking mayors'

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Comedian Nish Kumar on why Trump isn't actually 'good' for comedy: 'He's not one of your crack smoking mayors'

Nish Kumar reflects on political satire, social media and the evolving global reach of stand-up comedy ahead of his Just For Laughs shows in Montreal LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Nish Kumar attends Day 1 of The Podcast Show at the Business Design Centre on May 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Chapman/) As the Just For Laughs comedy festival continues this week, shows from comedian Nish Kumar are sure to be a highlight of the Montreal summer staple. While Kumar sells out stand-up shows around the world, and for good reason because he's one of the best, he said that he has a "sentimental fondness" for taking part in a festival. "The shows are always really good fun. ... There's an international circuit of comedians that do these things, that do Montreal, that do Edinburgh, that do Melbourne, and ... it's a really great opportunity to catch up with some friends, and also get to see some cool stuff as well," Kumar told Yahoo Canada. 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"I don't want to praise him ever, really, but the one thing I will say is Elon Musk buying Twitter has been really great for me, because it means that I've stopped using it, I think like for a lot of us. ... It's like a reverse Raiders of the Lost Ark, where he just opened this box and just Nazis went everywhere. And I think that, that had made a lot of us examine our relationship with it. Is this all part of a long game for Elon Musk's attempts to improve all of our mental health? No, it definitely isn't. But I genuinely think there's something fundamentally unhealthy about all of it." Kumar stressed that Canadian Naomi Klein's book "Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World" has "rewired" his brain in terms of engaging more critically with how he conducts himself on social media platforms, and more "empathetic" to "victims of these algorithms," while angrier about the perpetrators. 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From his evaluation of politics, societal structures and beyond, Kumar continues to be one of the best and essential voices in stand-up comedy. Nish Kumar has shows on July 23 and July 25 at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal

Home Office to share data on asylum hotel locations with food delivery firms
Home Office to share data on asylum hotel locations with food delivery firms

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Home Office to share data on asylum hotel locations with food delivery firms

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