Diane Abbott says she WILL run for Labour in the General Election (2024)

Diane Abbott has said she intends 'to run and to win as Labour's candidate' in the General Election, while shooting down claims she was offered a seat in the Lords.

Writing on social media, Ms Abbott said reports left-wing MPs had been offered peerages to stand down were 'factually incorrect' and insisted 'I would not accept one'.

It comes following a bitter row in the Labour Party over whether they would select her as a candidate, despite her being readmitted as an MP earlier this week.

But after days of indecision and growing tension, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday she was 'free' to run as a candidate.

Now, the veteran Left-wing MP has said she intends 'to run and to win' as the Labour candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington.

She said: 'I have never been offered a seat in the Lords, and would not accept one if offered.

'I am the adopted Labour candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. I intend to run and to win as Labour's candidate.'

The Labour party is yet to comment on the news.

Ms Abbott, who was a shadow cabinet minister under former leader Jeremy Corbyn, has represented the Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat since 1987.

She was suspended from Labour last year after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism, sparking a 13-month investigation which saw her sit as an Independent MP.

Ms Abbott apologised for her remarks and withdrew them shortly after they were published.

Baroness Chakrabarti, an ally of Abbott, told the BBC today that she had urged her friend to 'take some time' to consider whether she wanted to stand for Labour at the General Election.

Speaking to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she said the party's treatment of her 'dear friend' had been 'appalling', after some papers had been briefed that she had been barred from running.

Earlier this week, Ms Abbott threatened to quit and join ally Jeremy Corbyn in running against Labour amid claims she was being prevented from running in a 'disturbing' purge of his former allies.

In front of around 200 supporters at a rally outside Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday, Ms Abbott vowed to stay on as an MP 'by any means possible' and accused the Labour party of wanting to 'exclude' her from Parliament.

She accused Sir Keir Starmer of trying to cull left-wing candidates.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election and is now running as an independent candidate, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses.

Mr Corbyn told the PoliticsJoe website: 'Diane has been disgracefully treated by the Labour Party and by, particularly, the individual national officials of the party - all of them.'

He added: 'If she's reinstated, good. If not she's got a choice of her own to make. But whatever she does, I'll support her.'

Sir Kier was this week defied by some of his key shadow cabinet members including his deputy Ms Rayner who said was no good reason Ms Abbott couldn't run.

And Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting admitted that he was 'not particularly comfortable' with the way Ms Abbott has been treated.

Asked during a round of interviews whether he felt 'comfortable about what's happened here', Mr Streeting said: 'No, not particularly.'

He told Times Radio: 'I know that Diane had the whip restored and her suspension lifted yesterday. This was following her suspension over remarks that she made, for which she later apologised. So I know at this stage, in terms of decisions about her candidature, as much as has been reported.'

He added: 'I think this has gone on for a very long time. But I'm here this morning to talk about the NHS waiting lists and I say this with enormous respect for everything that Diane has achieved in politics.'

Asked if Ms Abbott was owed an apology Mr Streeting said: 'Diane rightly apologised for the comments that she made that led to her suspension, as to the process, I think those questions are better directed to people responsible for the process.

'I think it's best that we wait for all other facts to emerge about the decision making in this case, which I've not been involved in, have no responsibility for and I'm here to talk about the seven and a half million people who are on NHS waiting lists.'

John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.'

He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful.

'Whoever is responsible for this should hand their head in shame.'

For days, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer declined to say whether Ms Abbott would be defending her seat on July 4.

However, on Friday he said she was 'free' to run after the row over her candidacy overshadowed much of the story of Labour's campaign last week.

Mr Starmer praised her as a 'trailblazer', he said: 'Diane Abbott was elected in 1987, the first black woman MP. She has carved a path for other people to come into politics and public life.'