Growing calls for Diane Abbott to stand down ahead of next election

Former Labour MP Lord Mann has called for Diane Abbott to announce she is standing down at the next election after she lost whip for suggesting that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives”.

Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism told Jewish News“I think we are seeing a rather sad end to what has been a very prominent political career.

“I ask if Diane has thought about her many Jewish constituents in her Hackney North seat, and they must be thinking about what she said?

‘It’s a sad end to what has been four decades on the political frontline.’

Jewish News Editor Richard Ferrer says he expects Diane Abbott to ‘bow out’ after she was condemned by Sir Keir Starmer over ‘antisemitic’ comments.

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“It’s awful. I think the best thing she could do is say she’s going to stand down at the next election.”

Lord Mann’s comments came as new broadcasts by BBC London sparked widespread anger on Monday morning.

News bulletins were led with a plea from the disgraced organisation Jewish Voice For Labour with a call for Abbott to be reinstated by Labour.

Lord Mann spoke out as Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury told Sky News that Abbott’s local party and other officials will decide whether she can stand again at the next election.

“I’m sure that if she has made an apology, it is genuine. But it will be for the chief whip and the leader to decide what happens next,” he told Sky News.

“The way this works in the Labour party is you are picked by your local party, you have to be approved by the NEC [national executive committee].

“The chief whip has a big say in that too. So there’ll be a process there. It’s not for me to decide who gets to be a candidate.”