Diane Abbott accuses Keir Starmer of treating her like a ‘non-person’

Abbott with Starmer in 2019. She has said the Labour leader ‘never reached out to me personally’ in aftermath of Hester comments. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Diane Abbott has accused Keir Starmer of treating her as a “non-person” after comments by the Conservative donor Frank Hester who said that looking at the Hackney MP made “you just want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

Abbott said in a series of interviews that she expected more support from the party in the aftermath of the comments, which were revealed by the Guardian. She was suspended from the party at the time, and said Starmer did not reach out to her.