Labour officials are reportedly weighing up potential candidates to replace Diane Abbott in her north London seat, sparking concern among supporters that the veteran MP’s fate has been predetermined before her disciplinary investigation concludes.
Representatives from the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) are providing informal advice to potential successors for the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, according to The Guardian. The move has raised alarm bells among Abbott’s allies, who fear the party leadership has already decided to bar her from standing again.
Abbott, who has represented the constituency since 1987 and holds the honorary title of Mother of the House as parliament’s longest-serving female MP, was suspended by Labour for the second time in July after defending controversial comments about racism during a BBC interview.
Fresh Suspension Over Racism Remarks
The 71-year-old’s latest suspension came after she told BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme she had “no regrets at all” about her previous comments distinguishing between racism based on skin colour and other forms of discrimination.
“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,” Abbott said during the interview. “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.”
Her remarks echoed a letter she wrote to The Observer in 2023 which led to her first suspension. In that letter, Abbott argued that people of colour suffer from racism “all their lives”, which differs from “prejudice” that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described those original comments as “antisemitic.
Abbott was allowed back into the party ahead of last year’s general election after claiming the letter was an early draft version. She went on to reclaim her north London seat, though her majority was slashed from over 35,000 to 15,080 as Green Party support surged in the constituency.
Potential Successors Identified
The Guardian understands that potential successors to Abbott include those previously considered before the last general election. London Assembly member Sem Moema and Hackney councillor Mete Coban are rumoured to be the frontrunners for the safe Labour seat.
Moema, who represents North East London on the London Assembly, previously attempted to stand in Jeremy Corbyn’s former Islington North constituency. Coban serves as a councillor for Stoke Newington and has been active in local Labour politics for several years.
Other potential candidates mentioned include Anntoinette Bramble, the deputy mayor of Hackney council, and Susan Fajana-Thomas, also a Hackney councillor. However, Labour officials have stressed that no formal discussions have taken place at NEC meetings regarding alternative candidates.
Party Denies ‘Stitch-Up’ Claims
Labour has firmly denied that any official process is underway to replace Abbott whilst her investigation remains ongoing. A Labour Party official told The Guardian: “There’s no appetite among members for a stitch-up, they would want this to be fair after everything that’s happened.”
The party confirmed there have been no discussions about alternative candidates at any NEC meetings and no proposals have been put to NEC members about a selection process. They emphasised it would be premature to discuss potential successors while the disciplinary investigation continues.
Abbott herself responded to the reports with characteristic directness, saying: “It does seem to be rather pre-empting the results of the investigation.”
Despite the official denials, sources close to the situation suggest Abbott is unlikely to be readmitted to the parliamentary Labour Party. As a suspended MP, she remains blocked from standing as a Labour candidate until her case is concluded.
Political Tensions Mount
The controversy has reignited tensions between Starmer’s leadership and the party’s left wing. One figure on the left warned that talk of replacing Abbott risked inflaming tensions between the leadership and grassroots members, particularly given the lengthy and controversial nature of her previous suspension.
Abbott’s latest suspension caused unease among some party insiders, including NEC members, though they acknowledged her decision to repeat her original comments despite previously apologising made it harder to defend her position.
The row over Abbott’s future comes as Labour prepares for its autumn conference, where Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to take over as chair of the NEC. If Abbott is replaced, it would trigger one of the most high-profile Labour selections of the next parliament.
Trade Envoy Resigns Over Cyprus Visit
The Abbott controversy comes just days after another Labour MP resigned from a government position following an unauthorised diplomatic incident. Afzal Khan stepped down as the UK’s trade envoy to Turkey on Friday after making an unsanctioned visit to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Manchester Rusholme MP sparked fury from the Cypriot government after being photographed meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar at his official residence in Nicosia on August 8. The statelet has not been recognised by the UK since Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
Khan, 67, told the BBC he paid for the trip himself and was visiting family whilst receiving an honorary degree. However, his meeting with Tatar prompted the Cypriot government to call the visit “absolutely condemnable and unacceptable” and demand the UK show “respect” to their country.
In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Starmer, Khan said he felt it was “best to stand down at this time so not to distract from the hard work the government is doing to secure the best possible trade deals for this country.”
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel, who herself resigned as International Development Secretary in 2017 after holding unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials, called on Khan to resign and urged the Prime Minister to “restate Britain’s long-standing position on Cyprus.
Khan’s resignation marks the fourth trade envoy Sir Keir has lost in just four weeks, following his decision to sack three Labour MPs from their positions after they rebelled over welfare policy.
Looking Ahead
The dual controversies highlight ongoing challenges for Starmer’s leadership as he attempts to maintain party discipline whilst managing relationships with both Labour’s traditional left wing and diplomatic sensitivities.
For Abbott, the Mother of the House who made history as Britain’s first Black female MP in 1987, the coming weeks will determine whether her 38-year parliamentary career continues under the Labour banner or takes a different path.
With sources suggesting she is unlikely to return to the party fold, speculation is mounting about whether she might follow her long-time ally Jeremy Corbyn in standing as an independent. However, Abbott has given no indication of her intentions should Labour formally bar her candidacy.
As the investigation into her comments continues, the reported moves to identify her successor suggest the party leadership may already be planning for a future without one of its most recognisable and controversial figures.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Diane Abbott at the 2016 Labour Party Conference (Fringe meeting, 26 Sep 2016) – by Rwendland, licensed under CC BY‑SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
