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Keir Starmer’s war on the Labour Left appears to be escalating — and if you thought suspending four MPs for protecting the disabled* was bad, consider this: now Diane Abbott is in the firing line again.

Why? Because she stood by her intention to make a legitimate point about the difference in how people of colour experience racism — compared to those whose ethnicity isn’t visible at first glance.

This is not about anti-Semitism.

It’s about power, and the ruthlessness with which Starmer is wielding it.

It’s also about silencing the most prominent left-wing, Black woman in British politics.

A new Labour government should be celebrating its most historic trailblazers — not humiliating them.

What did Diane Abbott actually say?

In a wide-ranging BBC interview with James Naughtie, Diane Abbott was asked if she regretted the 2023 Observer letter that got her suspended from Labour. Her reply was:

“No, not at all.”

She then elaborated — carefully — that racism based on skin colour is immediately visible, while other forms are not:

“You can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street; you don’t know. But if you see a Black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re Black.”

Is that a denial of racism faced by Jewish or Traveller communities? No. She said:

“Of course [I condemn anti-Semitism]… I’ve spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds and in particular fighting anti-Semitism, partly because of the nature of my constituency.”

So why is the Labour Party now saying it’s “taking these comments incredibly seriously”? Why is the threat of renewed disciplinary action hanging in the air?

Because Abbott dared to speak again. And because she refused to recant everything.

A good point made badly is still a good point

Let’s be honest about what happened in 2023: Diane Abbott tried to draw a distinction between prejudice and racism as lived daily experience – but she did it in a clumsy, reductive way that understandably caused hurt — for which she apologised.

The point she was trying to make is one that many people of colour — and many political commentators — understand:

People of colour face racism that is immediate, constant, and often unavoidable because it is based on visible difference. Others may suffer horrific discrimination too — but it is not always triggered on sight.

That’s the discussion Diane Abbott wanted to open.

That’s what she refuses to regret.

And she’s right.

As This Writer previously stated:

“At the end of the day, it was a valid point made in a very clumsy way.”

She apologised.

She completed antisemitism training (that was completely unnecessary, in my opinion).

She accepted a formal warning.

She was readmitted to Labour — just in time to stand in the 2024 general election.

And yet now the Labour leadership is sharpening the knives again.

Why?

The real reason: a war on the left

Let’s be honest: if Diane Abbott was one of Keir Starmer’s inner circle, none of this would be happening.

She is being targeted not because she is anti-Semitic, but because she is a prominent, principled, outspoken left-wing MP.

A friend of Jeremy Corbyn.

A critic of Blairism.

A figure beloved by grassroots members.

And now, Starmer wants her gone.

In her interview, Abbott herself said she believed the leadership was trying to remove her:

“There were hints that I would be offered a seat in the House of Lords if I stepped down… I was never going to do that. And I’m a Labour MP today, and I’m grateful.”

Translation: they tried to buy her silence. She said no. Now they’re coming for her again.

Does that seem familiar? It should.

• First they came for Corbyn.

• Then for left-wing Jewish members.

• Then for the Socialist Campaign Group.

• Now, the four MPs who stood up for disabled people.

• And now, Diane Abbott — again.

This is not principled discipline.

It is political purging.

The risk – to Starmer

If Keir Starmer chooses to act against Diane Abbott again, the consequences will be disastrous — and not just for his standing on the Labour Left.

It will be seen as vindictive, cowardly, and racially loaded.

Diane Abbott is Britain’s first Black woman MP.

She is the “Mother of the House” of Commons.

She has faced more racist abuse than any other MP – in fact, more than all of them put together.

And she has fought for decades for the rights of the most marginalised.

To destroy her political career over a two-year-old controversy that has already been investigated, resolved, and for which she has already apologised will look — and feel — like a deliberate attempt at humiliation.

It will further divide Labour MPs.

It will deepen distrust among the membership.

And it will confirm for many voters — especially Black voters — that Starmer’s Labour has no room for dissent, and no respect for difference.

And in a context of racism, that is a dangerous way to look.

Already, sentiment is turning.

The suspensions of four MPs for standing up for disabled constituents have left backbenchers demoralised.

A growing number of MPs and members are now openly questioning Starmer’s priorities — and his soul.

The moment he targets Diane Abbott again may be the moment this quiet discontent turns into outright revolt.

Let her speak

Abbott has said she doesn’t regret trying to raise an important point — she only regrets the way it came out.

That is honest.

That is human.

Should we punish honesty now?

Should we punish imperfection — even after a sincere apology?

Or should we recognise that real leadership involves understanding the message behind the clumsy words — and listening to people who speak from lived experience?

Keir Starmer can’t claim to lead a party of compassion and inclusion while threatening one of the most prominent Black women in political history for being honest about racism.

If Starmer were to act against Diane Abbott now, he would be making a foolish, vindictive and self-destructive move.

But more than that — he would disgrace himself.

*Among other things.

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