Sir Keir Starmer faced a backlash over his treatment of Diane Abbott this week, as he was accused of ‘West Wing’ politics.
Ms Abbott was given back the Labour whip on Tuesday — but it was then reported she would not be allowed to stand at the upcoming general election, following her suspension from the party last year.
She warned Sir Keir on Wednesday night that she would not be “intimidated” as she vowed to remain the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.
Then on Friday, Sir Keir said that Ms Abbott will be a Labour candidate in the General Election, seemingly bowing to pressure from members of his cabinet.
The majority of readers who took part in The Telegraph’s exclusive poll voted against Diane Abbott being allowed to stand as a Labour MP, with many arguing that the party should not be seen to endorse previous comments she’d made or backtrack on their initial decision.
However, other readers suggested she has been treated unfairly by Sir Keir, with many questioning his leadership and how this could affect his election campaign.
‘If Diane Abbott had any integrity about her, she would retire gracefully’
Reader Ray Collins supports Sir Keir “putting his foot down,” adding that Diane Abbott has “repeatedly said stupid things throughout her career and has been allowed by some leaders to get away with it”.
Expanding on this, reader Andrew Kevill argues that Ms Abbott should be “judged on her performance, which has nothing to do with the colour of her skin”.
“A lot of people will be glad to see the back of her because she has made a laughing stock of herself over the years, as well as occasionally coming across as quite nasty,” Andrew adds.
He points out: “Keir Starmer is also busy electioneering and she has of course become a pawn in his farcical attempt to show that he has cleared his party of anti-Semitism.”
Reader J Troughton summarises that Ms Abbott should “retire gracefully after 37 years as an MP”.
“Surely, she hopefully is intelligent enough to appreciate the damage that she would do to the Labour Party by standing as an independent candidate.”
‘This is an appalling case of double standards’
Wes Streeting said he was “not particularly” comfortable with the treatment of Diane Abbott on Wednesday. The shadow health secretary is the most senior figure in the party to voice his concerns about the handling of Ms Abbott’s case.
Reader Iain Donnelly agrees: “I’ve no time for Abbott for all of the aforementioned reasons, but she is the first British black woman MP and has endured years of abuse for it. The way they have treated her is an absolute disgrace.”
Similarly, reader Chris OConnor says that the Labour Party has treated Diane Abbott unfairly and points out: “She has been a good and loyal servant of the Labour Party and a very good constituency MP over many decades. She should be allowed to run for Labour at the election. Anything less is a bit cheap and unworthy. Go Diane!”
For Norma Desmond, the situation doesn’t make sense: “Diane Abbott appears to have been made neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red herring. She has had the Labour whip restored but cannot stand as a Labour candidate in her constituency?”
Meanwhile, Jacqui Jay argues that this is an “appalling case of double standards”.
She continues: “I hope she stands as an independent and wins, purely to teach whomever made this stupid decision a lesson.”
‘Sir Keir’s actions pour fuel on the fire that will eventually engulf him’
Tom Harris joined the conversation when he criticised Sir Keir’s handling of the situation. He stated that the Diane Abbott saga has not been his “finest hour,” but that he should not cave in out of fear of a rebellion or criticism.
Reader M. J. A. Church suggests that Sir Keir’s actions pour “fuel on the fire that will eventually engulf him”.
From his mentioning of Margaret Thatcher in his speeches, to the fact that he is “chummy with Blair and Mandleson,” they believe that “he’ll be gone as Labour leader by Christmas”.
With an alternative view, reader Gav Green believes Sir Keir has “actually made a very good decision and sent a powerful message to the grievance mob. He hopes this is the “beginning of the end of obscene wokeness and the blow has been dealt with by Labour – which actually makes it stronger”.
Meanwhile, reader Donald Pump holds a similar view and concludes: “Attacking Corbyn, Abbott, and the Labour left always looks good for their leader, as Tony Blair demonstrated many times. The difference now is that Keir Starmer follows it through with action.”
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