Diane Abbott MP has been suspended from the Labour Party for a second time, a spokesperson said after she doubled down on comments about racism she had previously apologised for.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing."
The move means the whip is automatically suspended in the House of Commons for Ms Abbott, it is understood.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was previously suspended by the Labour Party in 2023 after a writing a letter to the Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that seen by other groups.
She was disciplined after arguing that people of colour experienced racism “all their lives” and in a different way to Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme on Thursday, she said she did not look back on the incident with regret.
Ms Abbott, who was readmitted to the party before the 2024 general election, said in the new interview: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.
“I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism.
“I don’t know why people would say that.”
She apologised for any anguished caused by the remarks which drew criticism from Jewish and Travellers groups.
It comes as Alloa and Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman, North East Hertfordshire MP Chris Hinchliff, York MP Rachael Maskell and Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan have been stripped of the Labour party whip after helping to organise the welfare reforms rebellion.
Three more MPs, Tooting MP Rosena Allin Khan, Clapham and Brixton Hill MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammed Yasin who represents Bedford, were stripped of their trade envoy roles for the same reason.
Meanwhile, Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn announced the start of a new left-wing party with ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana earlier this month.
The MP for Islington North said in statement that he was “delighted” Ms Sultana would “help us build a real alternative” but added that discussions were "ongoing".
Following the announcement of her suspension, Ms Abbot posted a section of the interview on social media, writing: “This is the clip of my interview.”
This is the clip of my interview. pic.twitter.com/I5UR2yF2oL
— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) July 17, 2025
The longest-serving female MP in the Commons, who entered Parliament in 1987, said she got a “bit weary” about people labelling her antisemetic and said she had “spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds”.
She said she was “grateful” to be a Labour MP but was sure the party leadership had been “trying to get me out”.
Asked whether she felt she had been “hung out to dry” by the Labour leadership during the disciplinary process relating to her remarks, she said: “In the end, Keir Starmer had to restore the whip to me.
“I got tremendous support locally. We had a big rally on the steps of Hackney town hall. And in the end Keir Starmer and the people around him had to back off because of the support I had from the community.”
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was asked if she was disappointed by the comments.
"I was. There's no place for antisemitism in the Labour party, and obviously the Labour party has processes for that," she told The Guardian.
"Diane had reflected on how she'd put that article together, and said that 'was not supposed to be the version', and now to double down and say 'Well, actually I didn't mean that. I actually meant what I originally said', I think is a real challenge."
Diane Abbott’s office was contacted for comment.
