Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, he told listeners “Diane Abbott has had the whip returned to her, no decision has been taken to bar her from standing and the NEC will come to a decision in due course.”
Asked if he would like her to be a candidate, Starmer added: “Ultimately, that will be a matter for the NEC but no decision has been taken.”
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle was asked about the situation while appearing on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, and said:
I’m sure there’s lots of conversations going on. They will be going on in as sensitive a way as possible. Diane was a trailblazer. We have a lot of respect for that. This election, though is about the future. And the NEC will be making sure that our party is fit for the future. And I think all these things will be discussed. They will come to a decision in the coming days.
Pressed on whether he was suggesting that Abbott wasn’t fit to stand as an MP again, Kyle said:
These are real issues about standards, and I’m not going to apologise for the fact that Keir Starmer, when he became leader of the Labour party, raised the standards by which sitting MPs, candidates, anybody that represents the Labour party and speaks on his behalf, are held.
That is why just today another Tory MP endorsed the Labour party That is because of the standards that we’re holding ourselves to and we are holding ourselves to extremely high standards.
Martin Forde KC has also spoken to the BBC about the row surrounding her selection. He told listeners:
It looks utterly shambolic to me, in ways that are probably predictable, in the sense that you need a system of regulation which is transparent, as swift as it can be, and consistent in outcome.
And when you have situations where the various factions are able to point to unequal treatment, or lack of consistency, it allows them to argue that this is a system which is factional.
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Conservatives this morning, and he expressed his disappointment that former Tory MP Mark Logan had defected to Labour.
“It’s disappointing,” PA Media reports he said. “Mark will have his own reasons as to why he’s decided to do that. Of course we’re disappointed when those things happen, but the big picture here, and there’s a lot at stake here – over and above what Mark Logan may or may not decide to have done – is the future of our country.”
Thames Water tells hundreds of Surrey households not to drink tap water
Labour maintaining a narrow lead in Westminster voting intention, with support on 37% ahead of the SNP’s 34%.
The polling, for the Scotsman, suggests that Labour would be on course for 28 Scottish MPs, up from two. The SNP would be left with 18 seats, and the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives would have five and six MPs respectively.
You can find our UK-wide aggregated poll tracker here:
Keir Starmer has declined to say whether he wants Diane Abbott to run as a Labour candidate in next month’s election, while repeating that she has not been formally barred by the Labour party.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, he told listeners “Diane Abbott has had the whip returned to her, no decision has been taken to bar her from standing and the NEC will come to a decision in due course.”
Asked if he would like her to be a candidate, Starmer added: “Ultimately, that will be a matter for the NEC but no decision has been taken.”
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle was asked about the situation while appearing on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, and said:
I’m sure there’s lots of conversations going on. They will be going on in as sensitive a way as possible. Diane was a trailblazer. We have a lot of respect for that. This election, though is about the future. And the NEC will be making sure that our party is fit for the future. And I think all these things will be discussed. They will come to a decision in the coming days.
Pressed on whether he was suggesting that Abbott wasn’t fit to stand as an MP again, Kyle said:
These are real issues about standards, and I’m not going to apologise for the fact that Keir Starmer, when he became leader of the Labour party, raised the standards by which sitting MPs, candidates, anybody that represents the Labour party and speaks on his behalf, are held.
That is why just today another Tory MP endorsed the Labour party That is because of the standards that we’re holding ourselves to and we are holding ourselves to extremely high standards.
Martin Forde KC has also spoken to the BBC about the row surrounding her selection. He told listeners:
It looks utterly shambolic to me, in ways that are probably predictable, in the sense that you need a system of regulation which is transparent, as swift as it can be, and consistent in outcome.
And when you have situations where the various factions are able to point to unequal treatment, or lack of consistency, it allows them to argue that this is a system which is factional.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has also spoken ahead of the launch of Great British Energy in Scotland. The shadow energy security and net zero secretary said:
Great British Energy will kickstart our mission for clean power to lower bills and boost our energy independence. It’s time to move on from the Tories’ bone-headed opposition to clean energy, for which British families are paying the price. The choice at this general election is clear: higher bills and energy insecurity with the Conservatives, or lower bills and energy independence with Labour.
Source: theguardian.com
