Diane Abbott accuses Sir Keir Starmer of ‘culling’ Labour left wingers after ‘appalling’ deselection decision
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of trying to purge general election candidates from the left of the Labour Party.
Questions remain about whether veteran Corbyn ally Diane Abbott will be barred from standing again, while Labour suspended one candidate and declined to endorse another.
Labour’s general election campaign has been overshadowed by the internal chaos over the selection of candidates, which includes the selection of influential figures on the Labour right.
Ms Abbott called it a “cull of left wingers”.
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Leader Sir Keir said no decision had yet been taken about whether Ms Abbott, the UK’s first black female MP, would be allowed to defend her Hackney North seat of 37 years.
She claimed she had been barred from standing after having the whip restored to her this week following a year-long suspension as she was investigated over a letter she wrote in The Guardian suggesting Jewish people do not face racism.
Ms Abbott vowed to stand in Hackney North “by any means possible”.
Meanwhile, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was MP for Brighton Kemptown, said he had been suspended by Labour over a “vexatious and politically motivated complaint” against him and said he is not being allowed to stand for the party.
He said it was a “false allegation” from eight years ago “that I dispute totally and I believe it was designed to disrupt this election”.
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Abbott ‘not barred’ from standing for Labour
Faiza Shaheen was deselected as the Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green after standing in the seat, held by veteran Tory Iain Duncan Smith, at the last election for Labour.
She said she was in a “state of shock” at “being treated this badly” after receiving an email saying her candidacy had been blocked.
Dr Shaheen was blocked for liking a tweet that allegedly downplayed antisemitism accusations. She said another post involved her describing her experiences of Islamophobia.
A lawyer for Dr Shaheen described the Labour Party process to be selected as “abhorrent, unprofessional and unfair”.
They said a member of the panel interviewing her to be a candidate did not engage and no consideration was given to her being a new mother, with just 5.5 hours notice given before she had to appear in front of the panel and said she could not hear questions properly as her four-month-old baby was crying.
The lawyer added that several of the social media messages raised as misconduct are “several years old”, including from before she became a Labour member.
“The Labour party had ample time to raise questions over this, including during the selection process,” the lawyer said.
She told BBC’s Newsnight: “On top of Gaza, on top of Diane Abbott and now this to me, when there’s such clear double standards of how other people have been treated when stuff has happened… what message are you sending my community? What message are you sending the black community?”
Ms Abbott accused Labour of carrying out a “cull of left wingers” as she branded the decision to block Dr Shaheen “appalling”.
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Faiza Shaheen with Jeremy Corbyn in 2019. Pic: PA
Asked if he is blocking left-wing candidates from standing, Sir Keir said: “No. I’ve said repeatedly over the last two years… that I want the highest quality candidates – that’s been the position for a very long time.”
Shadow cabinet minister Darren Jones denied there was a “purge” of the left, saying there were many colleagues who “would define themselves as being on the left”, who have been endorsed as Labour candidates.
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Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), which is handling the selection of about 20 final Labour candidates this week, said the final decision on whether Ms Abbott can defend her seat lies with Sir Keir.
On Mr Russell-Moyle’s suspension, a Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
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While those on the left have accused Labour of purging them, candidates on the Labour right have been given the green flag to stand.
Starmer ally and activist Luke Akehurst, who is a member of the NEC, is the candidate for North Durham and Josh Simons, director of the Starmerite thinktank Labour Together, will fight for the Makerfield seat.
Earlier this year, Mr Simons apologised after suggesting people-smuggling gangs could be put on a barge and “shipped to the north of Scotland”, saying: “Who cares?”
Former adviser to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, Heather Iqbal, was selected in Dewsbury and Batley, and journalist Paul Waugh will fight for Rochdale.
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Labour deputy leadership candidate accuses opponent’s team of ‘throwing mud’ and briefing against her
Lucy Powell has accused Bridget Phillipson’s team of “throwing mud” and briefing against her in the Labour deputy leadership race in a special episode of Sky’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
With just days to go until the race is decided, Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby spoke to the two leadership rivals about allegations of leaks, questions of party unity and their political vision.
Ms Powell told Electoral Dysfunction that through the course of the contest, she had “never leaked or briefed”.
But she said of negative stories about her in the media: “I think some of these things have also come from my opponent’s team as well. And I think they need calling out.
“We are two strong women standing in this contest. We’ve both got different things to bring to the job. I’m not going to get into the business of smearing and briefing against Bridget.
“Having us airing our dirty washing, throwing mud – both in this campaign or indeed after this if I get elected as deputy leader – that is not the game that I’m in.”
Ms Powell was responding to a “Labour source” who told the New Statesman last week: “Lucy was sacked from cabinet because she couldn’t be trusted not to brief or leak.”
Ms Powell said she had spoken directly to Ms Phillipson about allegations of briefings “a little bit”.
Bridget Phillipson (l) and Lucy Powell (r) spoke to Sky News’ Beth Rigby in a special Electoral Dysfunction double-header. Pics: Reuters
Phillipson denies leaks
But asked separately if her team had briefed against Ms Powell, Ms Phillipson told Rigby: “Not to my knowledge.”
And Ms Phillipson said she had not spoken “directly” to her opponent about the claims of negative briefings, despite Ms Powell saying the pair had talked about it.
“I don’t know if there’s been any discussion between the teams,” she added.
On the race itself, the education secretary said it would be “destabilising” if Ms Powell is elected, as she is no longer in the cabinet.
“I think there is a risk that comes of airing too much disagreement in public at a time when we need to focus on taking the fight to our opponents.
“I know Lucy would reject that, but I think that is for me a key choice that members are facing.”
She added: “It’s about the principle of having that rule outside of government that risks being the problem. I think I’ll be able to get more done in government.”
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Insider vs outsider
But Ms Powell, who was recently sacked by Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Commons, said she could “provide a stronger, more independent voice”.
“The party is withering on the vine at the same time, and people have got big jobs in government to do.
“Politics is moving really, really fast. Government is very, very slow. And I think having a full-time political deputy leader right now is the political injection we need.”
The result of the contest will be announced on Saturday 25 October.
The deputy leader has the potential to be a powerful and influential figure as the link between members and the parliamentary Labour Party, and will have a key role in election campaigns. They can’t be sacked by Sir Keir as they have their own mandate.
The contest was triggered by the resignation of Angela Rayner following a row over her tax affairs. She was also the deputy prime minister but this position was filled by David Lammy in a wider cabinet reshuffle.
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