Diane Abbott refused to take an anti-Semitism course to rejoin Labour

Diane Abbott was given the Labor whip back, but declined because she would have had to undergo anti-Semitism training. The independent has been told.

An investigation into the long-serving black MP has been ongoing since her suspension last April over an article she wrote about Jewish people, with pressure mounting on the party over why it took so long.

But sources from the left and right of the Labor Party have said this The independent that the investigation is dragging on in part because of Ms. Abbott’s refusal to compromise.

The revelation comes as senior Labor figures have rallied around Ms Abbott in the wake of a racist row involving the Conservative Party’s biggest donor, who said the MP made him “hate all black women” and that she had to be shot.

Shadow deputy leader Angela Rayner and House of Representatives mother Harriet Harman are among those who have said they want her readmitted to the party.

Ms Abbott had the whip suspended last April after writing a letter suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities.

She immediately apologized and said the letter had been published in The observer was a “first draft” sent by mistake.

According to sources, Ms Abbott was offered the chance to have the whip reinstated if she issued a “more comprehensive” apology and completed an anti-Semitism awareness course.

One said this led to her doing a “reverse ferret” after her initial apology, saying she would not apologize or take the requested training.

“And that’s why this has been going on for 10 months and not 25 minutes,” a shadow minister said The independent. Another MP on the left of the party added: “I don’t know why she didn’t just do it.”

Ms Abbott said “important aspects” of what The independent was told they were wrong, but gave no further details: “I cannot disclose details of this process as it would be another disciplinary offense under employment rules.”

She also repeated the claim she had previously made that the Labor investigation was “fraudulent”.

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In her disputed letter, she stated that Jewish, Irish and Traveler communities have experienced “prejudice”, but added: “This is akin to racism and the two words are often used as if they were interchangeable.”

Ms Abbott had added: “It is true that many types of white people with different points, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not subject to racism all their lives.”

The investigation into Ms Abbott is still ongoing, with Labor refusing to explain why it is taking so long or when it will be completed.

Supporters of Ms Abbott, who was elected MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1987, believe the investigation is being used to force her out of parliament at the next election.

If her suspension remains in place when the election is called, Labour’s national executive committee will have to decide whether she can stand as a candidate or nominate a new candidate.

Another shadow minister said it The independent Ms Abbott was “stubborn” and said the party was “desperate to do a deal with her”.

The figure said the Labor leadership is willing to bring her back into the parliamentary party as long as she agrees to “gracefully drop out” at the next general election, a compromise they say will allow her to become a Labor MP to perform ‘with her legacy intact’. ”.

Ms Abbott has given no indication that she plans to resign at the next election.

Pressure has increased on Sir Keir Starmer to reinstate the whip following alleged comments from the Tories’ biggest donor, Frank Hester. Mr Hester, who is believed to have given the party £15 million in the past year, said that looking at Ms Abbott “makes you want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”, a Guardian research found.

Ms Rayner spoke out in support of Ms Abbott on Thursday, adding to calls from across the political spectrum: “Personally, I would like to see Diane back. But the Labor Party has to follow its procedures… so it doesn’t matter what I think.”

Ms Harman has called for the investigation into the suspension to be speeded up, admitting processes can sometimes be slow, while former shadow chancellor Ed Balls and former Tony Blair political secretary John McTernan called on Sir Keir to reinstate the whip.

Mrs. Abbott told it The independent: “I cannot make the details of this process public as that would be another disciplinary action under Labor rules. But your sources are wrong on important points. Yet their claims also show that the investigative process is fraudulent. The Labor Party has taken advantage of this sham. in an attempt to bully me.”

She also suggested on X/Twitter that she doesn’t think she will ever get the whip back, claiming Labour’s “real agenda” is to force her out.

On Thursday, Sir Keir declined to know whether or not Ms Abbott, who is currently sitting as an independent, could expect to become a Labor MP again. She said only that the 10-month investigation into her alleged anti-Semitic comments was “not resolved.” .

The Labor leader said she was a pioneer and described the language Mr Hester would use as “appalling”, but he told BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine that allowing the MP back into the party would be a “completely different issue”.

“That was about allegations of anti-Semitism in connection with a letter… which is the subject of an ongoing investigation, separate from me. That’s not something I do.”

Labor did not respond The independent‘s request for comment.