Labour civil war erupts as PM accused of treating 'allies' differently on antisemitism

Diane Abbott says that she was treated differently on the issue of antisemitism after she had the whip removed for her controversial views.

By Mieka Smiles, News Reporter

Abbott has made fresh accusations against Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Abbott has made fresh accusations against Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Image: Getty)

Labour MP Diane Abbott has blasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggesting “allies” of the Prime Minister are treated "differently" from his enemies when accused of antisemitism.

Ms Abbott has made a number of claims blasting Mr Starmer in her new book saying that “a purely factional approach is adopted on the charge of antisemitism by this leadership”.

After writing in a letter to the Observer that Jewish people experienced prejudice but not racism - and that it was not the same as racism experienced by Black people - she had the whip suspended for more than a year by the now PM.

The comments in her book A Woman Like Me could reopen the debate about whether Ms Abbott should have the whip withdrawn as they seem to play down the problem of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.

She writes: “We have seen repeatedly that allies of the current leadership are treated very differently when it comes to allegations of antisemitism, as compared to the Left in the party and the critics of the current leadership.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer took the whip away from Abbott. (Image: Getty)

“It is widely discussed in Labour circles and beyond that a purely factional approach is adopted on the charge of antisemitism by this leadership, and one of the cases most invoked to prove its factionalism is the way I have been treated, many months after my original letter to The Observer.”

She went on with more thoughts on antisemitism, claiming it's be used to "silence critics" of Israel.

Ms Abbott added: “The attempt to silence critics of Israel with the charge of antisemitism has lost its force.

"Opposing genocide is not, and can never be, antisemitic.

"If anything, the assault on Gaza has clarified the issues related to charges of antisemitism in the Labour Party.”

Sir Keir restored the whip and allowed her to stand as a candidate for his party in the last general election.

Abbott was re-elected as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington with a majority of 15,090.

A Conservative Party spokesman said as reported by The Telegraph: “Keir Starmer clearly wanted to ditch Diane Abbott as a Labour MP at the General Election but caved in to press pressure when it became a media circus."

The statement added: “Now she is alleging that Starmer’s Labour is doing the exact same thing as Corbyn’s and treating anti-Semitism complaints differently depending on which faction of the Labour party the accused belongs to."

Express.co.uk has contacted the Cabinet Office and Labour Party for comment.

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