Diane Abbott ‘free’ to stand as a Labour candidate, says Starmer

17 comments

1. Starmer knows at this point that Labour is going to do so well that it doesn’t actually matter who runs for them, as long as they win, which they will.

2. All the coverage of this story feels like…

   Yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but no but maybe, this is crazy, but yeah but no, here’s my number, but yeah… Call me maybe.

3. I think that concludes the matter, maybe Abbott should apologise to the leadership and for her previous TWO outbursts that were clearly incorrect, but that’s not really here nor there. Just goes to show, you shouldn’t listen to unnamed sources but listen to those in the know instead

4. Took the prick long enough. Now reinstate Faiza Shaheen.

5. This is one of those things that seems big online but probably isn’t in the real world. I suspect that whether Diane Abbott is or isn’t allowed to stand as a labour MP doesn’t move the needle for 95% of the country, possibly not even in her own constituency. What might have more of an impact is how much news space this kind of thing occupies over the next few weeks. If there’s a prolonged sense of labour being in a mess internally then I can see some people starting to be put off voting.

   They just need to get their ducks in a row now and keep this kind of stuff out of the news cycle. Hopefully this is clear enough and will end the matter, but I can see there being more talkback that drags it out a while longer.

6. Why do Labour keep walking into these easily avoidable comms cock-ups?

   It was agreed between Abbott and the leadership that she was going to retire and stand down gracefully, “many years of dedicated public service”, all that jazz.

   Then some little goblin in Starmer’s camp briefs against her to the media with some stuff about her being blocked and Abbott, having already recently found out that the investigation into her concluded months ago contrary to what Labour were saying publicly, takes this as a sign that the leadership has reneged on their deal.

   If these factional little ratfuckers are going behind Starmer’s back with their briefings, he needs to find out who they are and stomp on them, because every time they indulge their petty grievances Starmer and his team end up having to do the rounds to clear up the mess they’ve made.

   If they’re doing these things with his blessing, is he an idiot? Because they had an opportunity to let Abbott waltz off into the sunset to very little fanfare and instead they’ve blown it up into a media circus.

7. This has been the worst purge in the history of purges

8. It shows that Starmer can be easily bullied by the left wing of his party. If Labour come to power, Rayner will replace him as leader within a year and left will takeover the government. We’ll end up worse than Venezuela. Vote wisely lads.

9. Momentum respond to Team Keir green-lighting Diane Abbott to stand: “You come at the queen, you better not miss.”

   https://x.com/benrileysmith/status/1796527295701618920

10. Not turning out to be much of a purge this, is it? They’ve dropped one candidate, and that in a seat the Tories have held for half a century.

11. Honestly it would have made them look better (well, not better but you know what I mean) if they stuck to the line of sacking her off.

    That way they looked ruthless, but scored points for getting rid of an MP nobody likes, whereas this way they just look like disorganised fuckwits.

12. What a self-inflicted mess.

    Thankfully Diaper Donny kept it off the front pages.

13. Good. Despite many users on here playing into the abuse Diane receives by characterising her as incompetent, she has a right to stand. 

14. Starmer needs to purge the left out of the party. Muppets like her being in it would make me less likely to vote for them. I’ve only just decided to vote for them now Corbyn isn’t their candidate.

15. So this goes right back to my comment yesterday about Labour imploding in real time – sad but very amusing too. Honestly Rishi probably knew this would happen (Labour tearing itself apart) hence calling the election now.

16. I think Keir Starmer realised that he was already doing well enough with floating voters that he didn’t need to go and piss off the entire left wing of the party with this stupid purge. He’s hurt himself quite a bit since the start of the election and is now reacting to the backlash.

17. As with most Labour problems – JUST FUCKING TALK TO EACH OTHER.