Diane Abbott suspended again by the Labour Party over race row letter
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 from the parliamentary 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.
Diane Abbott speaking at the People's Assembly Against Austerity protest in central London (PA)
But speaking to BBC Radio 4's Reflections on Thursday, she said she did not look back on the incident with regret.
Ms Abbott told the programme: '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.
'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.
'I don't know why people would say that.'
She apologised for any anguish caused by the remarks that drew criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups.
The suspension comes less than 24 hours after the suspension of four left-wing rebels as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to reassert his authority.
The mother of the House, as the longest-serving female MP in the Commons, having entered Parliament in 1987, said she got a 'bit weary' about people labelling her antisemitic and said she had 'spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds'.
She said she was 'grateful' to be a Labour MP but was sure the party leadership had been 'trying to get me out'.
Ms Abbott is a close ally of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now an independent MP having been expelled from the party. He is currently setting up a new party with another former Labour rebel, Zarah Sultana.
Ms Abbott served as Mr Corbyn's shadow home secretary and has been a noted anti-racism campaigner.
However, she became embroiled in antisemitism allegations over her attitudes to Israel, an issue which has split the party.
One ally, Shami Chakrabarti, questioned whether the current Labour leadership, which has been accused of using the language of right-wing former Tory MP Enoch Powell over immigration, is fit to pass judgement on Ms Abbott.
She said: "People who are writing island of strangers speeches should be a bit slow to sit in judgement on Diane Abbott, who has been fighting racism all her life.'
Another ally, journalist Owen Jones, posted: 'It is absolutely absurd that Diane Abbott was suspended for this. She's describing the lived experience of anti-Black racism. She wasn't saying Jewish people and Travellers don't experience racism. She's saying that racism takes different forms.'
The Independent has contacted Ms Abbott for comment.
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Andrew Bailey also stressed that the UK cannot 'compromise' on financial stability amid the Treasury's plans to rip up red tape across the sector. 'I do think the ring-fencing regime is an important part of the structure of the banking system,' he told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee. 'It makes the resolution of banks if they're in trouble much easier, and it benefits, particularly in terms of the UK, consumers, business and households. 'I'm sure there are things that can be improved and we will work constructively to get through that process.' 'I think it has established itself as part of the system and to me it would not be sensible to take it away at this point,' he clarified. The ring-fencing regime was brought in after the 2008 financial crisis to separate banks' retail and investment banking activities. 11:40 AM BST Scrapping bank ring-fencing 'not sensible', warns Bailey The Governor of the Bank of England said it 'would not be sensible' for the Government to scrap the bank ring-fencing regime, after Rachel Reeves announced plans to reform the system last week. Andrew Bailey also stressed that the UK cannot 'compromise' on financial stability amid the Treasury's plans to rip up red tape across the sector. 'I do think the ring-fencing regime is an important part of the structure of the banking system,' he told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee. 'It makes the resolution of banks if they're in trouble much easier, and it benefits, particularly in terms of the UK, consumers, business and households. 'I'm sure there are things that can be improved and we will work constructively to get through that process.' 'I think it has established itself as part of the system and to me it would not be sensible to take it away at this point,' he clarified. The ring-fencing regime was brought in after the 2008 financial crisis to separate banks' retail and investment banking activities. 11:25 AM BST Bailey warns over global financial crisis as Reeves pushes for growth Andrew Bailey issued a thinly veiled warning to Rachel Reeves not to pursue growth at the expense of regulation as the Chancellor seeks ways to boost the economy and rebalance the public finances. The Governor of the Bank of England insisted 'there isn't a trade off between financial stability and growth' days after Ms Reeves addressed banking leaders in her Mansion House speech. The Chancellor said red tape is a 'boot on the neck of businesses' and risks undermining the UK's dash for growth, as she urged Britain's regulators to ditch their 'excessive caution'. Mr Bailey said: 'I can understand when I hear people say 'the financial crisis is now way in the past, we've got passed that, that's all solved, that's all out of the way, move on'. 'For those of us who were veterans of sorting the problems of that out, I think we probably all feel in some ways were in different parts of the world, erm... no. 'Yes of course the world moves on. That was the experience of losing financial stability. We had a very serious recession in this country after that. So I do react to people who say that because, I'm sorry, this is the fundamental point about why financial stability is important.' He added: 'Success in financial stability is when nothing happens. The fact we've had market volatility this year and we haven't had a financial stability problem and we're not worrying about banks failing, we're not the market, is of course a success. 'It's not always easy to point to it and say, look, this is good news. But the UK banking system is very resilient.' 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'And given that she is struggling to stick to existing spending plans and we doubt the gilt market will tolerate significant increases in borrowing, she will probably have to raise taxes instead.' 08:38 AM BST Government borrowing costs jump as public finances 'exposed' The cost of government borrowing jumped higher today after the latest figures showing the Treasury borrowed more than expected last month. Investors sold bonds – which offer a benchmark for the cost of servicing the national debt – after official data indicated Britain's borrowing surged to a June record excluding the pandemic. The yield on 10-year gilts climbed nearly three basis points to 4.63pc, which was the sharpest rise across the world's major economies. Rising gilt yields mean the government has to pay higher returns to buyers of its debt. The ONS said Britain's debt interest costs nearly doubled in June, mainly as a result of so-called index-linked gilts, which are government bonds offering returns tied to the rate of inflation. Nabil Taleb, economist at PwC UK, said: 'Higher debt servicing costs as a share of total revenues leave the public finances more exposed to future economic shocks.' The rate of inflation has climbed in recent months, with the situation made worse by the fact bonds are linked to the retail prices index (RPI), a now discredited rate of inflation which is higher than the official designated consumer prices index (CPI). RPI was 4.4pc in June, compared to 3.4pc for CPI. 08:13 AM BST Reeves to impose 'sin taxes' and raid pensions to cover surging borrowing Rachel Reeves will raid pensions and impose 'sin taxes' to deal with a £20bn black hole in the public finances this autumn, economists have said. Pantheon Macroeconomics predicted the Chancellor's £9.9bn of headroom left in the public finances in spring would be wiped out by the time she delivers her Budget, with an extra £13bn needed on top of that. Chief UK economist Rob Wood said Ms Reeves has a 'major problem' created by U-turns on previously planned spending cuts and possible downgrades to OBR growth forecasts. He said: 'We expect 'sin tax' and duty hikes, freezing income tax thresholds for an extra year in 2029 and a pensions tax raid —reinstating the lifetime limit on pension pots and cutting relief — to fill most of the hole. 'The majority of those tax hikes would be backloaded to the end of the forecast horizon, avoiding fiscal tightening in the near-term. 'Sitting between a rock and a hard place — of wanting to avoid tax hikes but being unable to cut spending — Ms Reeves could tweak the fiscal rules to allow a forecast deficit of 0.5pc of GDP, giving another £17bn of headroom. 'The fiscal pain will, however, continue beyond the autumn. Defence spending will almost certainly have to rise faster than the government currently plans, for instance, necessitating further tax hikes or rule tweaks.' 08:02 AM BST UK stocks fall after as borrowing costs surge Stock markets in London made a lacklustre start to trading after official figures showed rising Treasury borrowing, which make tax rises almost certain later this year. The FTSE 100 declined 0.2pc to 8,999.11 while the mid-cap FTSE 250 slipped 0.1pc to 22,001.27. 07:49 AM BST Reeves 'spending money she doesn't have', say Tories The shadow chancellor said the higher-than-expected rise in Government borrowing proved Rachel Reeves is 'spending money she doesn't have'. Mel Stride said: 'Debt interest already costs taxpayers £100bn a year – almost double the defence budget – and it's forecast to rise to £130bn on Labour's watch. 'Labour's jobs tax and reckless borrowing is killing growth and fuelling inflation – paving the way for more tax hikes and more borrowing in the autumn. Make no mistake – working families will pay the price for Labour's failure and costly U-turns. 'Only the Conservatives, under new leadership, will break this cycle. Only the Conservatives believe in sound money and low taxes.' Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith added: 'This level of borrowing is not remotely 'unexpected' given the out of her depth Chancellor. 'She is no more capable of balancing her books than a first year undergrad in freshers week.' 07:42 AM BST Rising debt costs outweigh National Insurance raid The jump in the cost of servicing the national debt outweighed the returns for the Chancellor from her National Insurance raid, the ONS said. Rachel Reeves's changes hikes to employer National Insurance contributions raked in an extra £3.1bn in June, taking the total 'compulsory social contributions' for the month to £17.4bn. However, this was dwarfed by an £8.4bn jump in the cost of central government debt to £16.4bn, mainly as a result of bonds linked to the rate of inflation. ONS acting chief economist Richard Heys said: 'Borrowing in the month of June was over £6bn higher than during the same month last year. 'The rising costs of providing public services and a large rise this month in the interest payable on index-linked gilts pushed up overall spending more than the increases in income from taxes and National Insurance contributions, causing borrowing to rise in June.' 07:32 AM BST Surging debt interest costs 'piles more pressure' on Reeves Government debt interest payments were the second highest for June since monthly records began in 1997, heaping more pressure on the Chancellor. The Treasury paid £16.4bn in debt interest costs, which was £2.4bn more than the OBR predicted would be the case back in March. Dennis Tatarkov, senior economist at KPMG UK, said higher borrowing 'piles more pressure on public finances'. He said: 'Higher than expected interest payments as well as weaker revenues have pushed borrowing above the OBR's projection for the second month in a row. 'Furthermore, the longer-term outlook for public finances remains difficult. Recent U-turns on welfare and persistent growth headwinds could open a gap against fiscal targets, which could require further tax rises or spending cuts in the autumn Budget. 'To the extent that ongoing deficits point to lingering budgetary pressures, we would expect the OBR to acknowledge these at the next fiscal event.' 07:22 AM BST Treasury committed to fiscal rules, says minister The Treasury remains committed to the 'tough fiscal rules' set by the Chancellor, a minister has said, making tax rises more likely in the Budget. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said: 'We are committed to tough fiscal rules, so we do not borrow for day-to-day spending and get debt down as a share of our economy. 'This commitment to economic stability means we can get on with investing in Britain's renewal, including fixing our NHS, strengthening our national defence and building hundreds of thousands of affordable homes through our Plan for Change.' 07:18 AM BST Treasury borrowing costs surge amid rising inflation The Treasury in June paid nearly double the level of interest payments on its debt than compared to the same month last year, official figures show. The interest payable on central government debt jumped from £8.4bn in June last year to £16.4bn last month, mainly as a result of rising inflation, which pushed up the returns it must pay on index-linked gilts. The Treasury has borrowed £57.8bn so far this financial year, the ONS said, which was £7.5bn more than the same period last year. 07:04 AM BST Good morning Thanks for joining me. The Treasury borrowed more than official forecasts last month, cementing the case for Rachel Reeves to raise taxes in the autumn. Public sector net borrowing rose by £20.7bn in June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which was the highest figure for the month on record excluding the pandemic. It meant the Treasury borrowed £3.5bn more than the £17.1bn that had been forecast for the month by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Borrowing was £6.6bn higher than the same month last year. So far this financial year, public sector borrowing hit £57.8bn, which was in line with the OBR forecast. The Treasury in June paid nearly double the level of interest payments on its debt compared to the same month last year, mainly as a result of bonds linked to the rate of inflation, which has climbed in recent months. It comes as economists warned the Chancellor she faces a potential £30bn black hole in the public finances when she comes to deliver her Budget later this year. Ms Reeves has said repeatedly that she is committed to her fiscal rules and would not reopen departmental spending budgets, leaving her with little option but to raise taxes to keep the nation's finances in order. She has faced pressure from backbenchers to impose a wealth tax, while Angela Rayner is pushing for councils to be given new powers to tax tourists. Here is what you need to know. 5 things to start your day Trump tariffs risk 'pushing up UK borrowing costs' | US policies threaten to pile pressure on price of servicing national debt Vauxhall owner slumps to £2bn loss after botched bet on hydrogen | Stellantis blames restructuring costs and US tariffs for slip into red Millions to be forced to work for longer under state pension reform | Labour opens door to later retirement age after launching review three years ahead of deadline BP accused of 'chronic underperformance' by hedge fund Elliott | Activist investor says oil giant needs 'decisive and effective leadership' as new chairman announced Lucy Burton: The MeToo movement has made men scared to mentor women at work | Useless managers afraid of big emotions are blindly ignoring half of their workforce What happened overnight Asian share markets drifted lower after scaling a near four-year peak ahead of an onslaught of corporate earnings. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since October 2021 in early Asian hours but was last down 0.4pc. The index is up nearly 16pc this year. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched record-high closes on Monday. The Japanese markets returned to action after a holiday on Monday following the weekend's election where the ruling coalition suffered a defeat in upper house elections, although Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his post. Japanese shares briefly jumped at the open but reversed course to trade lower by Tuesday afternoon, as the election results were largely priced in and were not as bad as investors had feared. The yen rallied 1pc on Monday, recouping some of the losses from past weeks and was last slightly weaker at 147.73 per dollar. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell less than 0.1pc, to 44,323.53, the S&P 500 rose 0.1pc, to 6,305.68, and the Nasdaq rose 0.4pc, to 20,974.18. In the bond market, the yield on benchmark 10-year US Treasury notes fell to 4.387pc from 4.423pc late on Sunday. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
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- Washington Post
Trump's trip to Scotland highlights his complex relationship with his mother's homeland
LONDON — U.S. President Donald Trump 's trip to Scotland this week will be a homecoming of sorts, but he's likely to get a mixed reception. Trump has had a long and at times rocky relationship with the country where his mother grew up in a humble house on a windswept isle.
