Labour MP says ‘trailblazing’ Diane Abbott should have whip restored

Labour faces questions over whether to allow Diane Abbott back into the party fold as senior figures amid calls to return the whip to the long-serving MP.

Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, said Ms Abbott, who has been the subject of alleged racist comments by a Tory donor, should be let back in – describing her as a “trailblazer” and a “hero of the anti-racist struggle”.

Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, said she wants Ms Abbott to have the whip restored but said Labour needed to follow procedures which could sometimes take a long time.

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