Diane Abbott has not been treated “fairly or appropriately” by some Labour colleagues and should be allowed to stand again for the party at the election if she wishes to do so, Angela Rayner has said.
Labour’s deputy leader confirmed that the veteran MP had not been barred from running again despite reports to the contrary and said she “doesn’t see any reason” why Abbott could not run now the party whip had been restored.
In an interview with the Guardian, she also suggested it was up to Abbott to decide whether she retired at this election, although she indicated there was an expectation she would do so. “I want to see her be able to retire with her 37 years of service being respected and being celebrated,” she said.
Abbott on Wednesday night promised to stay on as an MP for “as long as it is possible”, setting up a possible clash with Keir Starmer after a deal for her to retire from parliament broke down. She accused the party of carrying out a “cull of leftwingers” after she and others were blocked or dissuaded from standing.
Rayner rejected claims that only leftwing candidates had been blocked, after two – Faiza Shaheen in Chingford and Woodford Green and Lloyd Russell-Moyle in Brighton Kemptown – announced they had been barred.
“I don’t think it’s a purge,” Rayner said. “I don’t know the details of the individual cases but I do know that we put a robust system in place around vetting and dealing with serious allegations that are made in the party. We had to do that because when me and Keir took over, the party was failing.”
She denied it was just leftwingers who had been affected. “I don’t think it is. There are candidates across the board. I understand that people are nervous about that, but I don’t think it is just a feature of candidates on the left.”
She said: “I don’t think Keir is acting in a factional way. You do have factions in the Labour party but our party will only succeed if we’re a broad church.”
Abbott, the UK’s first black female MP, had been set to make a “dignified exit” from parliament after a four-decade career, in an arrangement in which she was given back the Labour whip after an investigation into comments she made about racism. The deal appeared to collapse after an unknown Labour source briefed journalists that she would nonetheless be barred from standing again in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, prompting fury from her allies.
Rayner said: “I don’t think that briefing was accurate, fair or even appropriate. I don’t think briefing against colleagues is the way that we should conduct ourselves. I don’t think that helps anyone.”
She did not confirm whether there would be an internal investigation into the affair, but admitted Starmer was “incredibly frustrated” when there was negative briefing in the press about any Labour colleagues.
“Keir is the ultimate professional, he ran the Crown Prosecution Service and he’s meticulous around bringing in that conduct within the party and politics.” she said. “He believes that politics should be above that. He’s definitely a ‘play the ball, not the man’ person … He would want any issues to be dealt with through the right processes rather than briefing.”
Confirming that Abbott had not been barred from standing again, Rayner said: “If Diane wanted to stand again, I don’t see any reason why she can’t … The investigation is concluded and it’s confirmed that she’s now back in the parliamentary Labour party and on the whip.”
She suggested the decision about whether to retire or not was one for Abbott to take herself. “She may do, she may not, but that should be her decision, it’s not for anybody else. I want to see her be able to decide her own future.”
Rayner said Abbott had a firm legacy as a “trailblazer” who had given hope and inspiration to many women from all backgrounds. “She’s a valued colleague across the house, not just in the Labour party but across the political spectrum. I think she deserves to be treated with respect.”
