Labour Abbott problem goes on after ‘Starmer lies post'

Social media row shadow casts over the party as MP is cleared to stand again

- Nicholas Cecil

LABOUR chiefs were pressing ahead today with "rubber-stamping" Diane Abbott to stand as an MP for the party in London again amid a social media row over whether she accused Sir Keir Starmer of "more lies".

The Labour leader on Friday announced that Ms Abbott would be "free" to contest the Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat having for days declined to say so, with claims that she would be barred.

Over the weekend, he added: "I've actually got more respect for Diane than she probably realises." Ms Abbott, 70, who has said she intends to stand in the seat that she has represented since 1987, apparently tweeted, in response to a headline on a Guardian story about the Labour leader's respect for her: "More lies from Starmer."

Some on social media questioned whether it was a genuine tweet, or a fake. But BBC political journalist Nick Eardley tweeted the image of Ms Abbott's alleged message on X/Twitter adding: "Good to see people scrutinising to check tweet is real. Important to be alert to dodgy info. But for those asking, I screen grabbed this from original tweet".