Labour moves to find Abbott successor after race letter row

Moves to find a successor to Diane Abbott in the parliamentary seat she has represented since 1987 are under way, prompting concern that her fate has been decided before an investigation into her latest suspension has concluded.

- Aletha Adu

Potential contenders have been spoken to by figures on the party's national executive committee (NEC), teeing them up for a future contest in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington and giving them informal advice on how to prepare, according to a party source.

Abbott was suspended from the Labour party in July for repeating that Jewish people do not experience racism in the same way as Black people, a statement that had earned her a previous suspension in April 2023. Labour said it was too early to discuss potential successors in Abbott's seat while the investigation was ongoing. They said there had been no discussions about alternative candidates at any NEC meetings and no proposals put to NEC members about a selection process.

Abbott told the Guardian: "It does seem to be rather pre-empting the results of the investigation."