Labour’s shocking treatment of Diane Abbott could alienate Black voters for years to come

‘As the first Black woman elected to British parliament, Abbott has held a special significance to Black voters.’ Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian

I was an odd child. Alongside the pictures of Prince and Public Enemy on my wall as a teenager, I had images of British politicians such as Tony Benn, Bernie Grant and, of course, Diane Abbott.

As a politically obsessed young Black person growing up on an inner London council estate, seeing Grant, Abbott, Paul Boateng and Keith Vaz break the colour bar in 1987 and take their seats in parliament felt like a watershed moment.