Ms Abbott had suggested that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism ‘all their lives’ in a letter to The Observer newspaper.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Diane Abbott’s comments about racism as “antisemitic” and said they will never be accepted in the party.
Ms Abbott had the Labour whip suspended after comments suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people are not subject to racism “all their lives”.
Sir Keir would not say if Ms Abbott should not stand again for her London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington at the next general election stating “there’s an investigation in place, I’ve got to let that investigation be completed”.
Sir Keir, speaking to reporters after a round-table event in south east London about violence against women and girls, said: “In my view what she said was to be condemned, it was antisemitic.”
She said in a letter in The Observer that although white people “with points of difference” suffer prejudice, they have not suffered the same racism as black people.
Ms Abbott has been an MP since 1987, was the first black woman elected to Parliament, and served as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow home secretary.
Sir Keir said: “Diane Abbott has suffered a lot of racial abuse over many many years – that doesn’t take away from the fact that I condemn the words she used and we must never accept the argument that there’s some sort of hierarchy of racism.
“I will never accept that, the Labour Party will never accept that, and that’s why we acted as swiftly as we did yesterday.”
Earlier, Pat McFadden, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said disciplinary matters “will be a matter for the chief whip and the leader” and the party had “no choice” but to take action against Ms Abbott.
He told BBC Breakfast her comments “were completely wrong”.
He said: “They were offensive to people and based on a very wrong idea that there can be some sort of hierarchy when it comes to victims of racism.
“Anyone who has looked at the history will know that Jewish people have suffered the most terrible racism. The history of the 20th century is very obvious.
“Even recently, antisemitism is still a problem in our society. I think what she said was wrong in its own terms and the chief whip and the leader had no choice but to take the action they took (on Sunday).”
Mr McFadden said Sir Keir Starmer is “determined to turn the page on some of the culture that had been in the Labour Party before he became leader and I’m sure that he will be resolved to make that change even more emphatic after yesterday’s events”.
After prompting widespread criticism for her comments, Ms Abbott apologised for any “anguish” caused, suggesting “errors arose” in her initial draft letter to the newspaper.
Labour said: “The Labour Party completely condemns these comments, which are deeply offensive and wrong.
“The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.”
