Labour MP Diane Abbott is a contender to be the party’s candidate for mayor of London in 2016, it has been announced.
The veteran leftwinger said she would campaign on standing up to “anti-immigrant propaganda”, as well as the cost of living in the capital.
“A great many people have been pressing me for some time to throw my hat in the ring and in the end I decided that because London needs a genuinely independent candidate, London needs a candidate that will fight to make London more affordable for ordinary Londoners,” she said.
“I also think London needs a voice that will stand up against some of the anti-immigrant propaganda that we’re hearing,” Abbott told ITV London.
And, commenting on her potential Labour rivals, she said: “I think Labour is fortunate to have some really great people who are talking about standing and I consider all of the Labour people personal friends, so I think it’s going to be a great race.”
Abbott, who unsuccessfully contested the Labour leadership in 2010, has joined Tottenham MP David Lammy and transport expert Christian Wolmar in declaring an intention to seek the Labour nomination. She confirmed that, if elected to the post in 2016, she would stand down as an MP.
Former culture secretary Dame Tessa Jowell has also indicated that she intends to stand for the position.
