UK general election live: Starmer says Diane Abbott ‘free to go forward’ as a Labour candidate

David Graham

11 months ago

UK general election live: Starmer says Diane Abbott ‘free to go forward’ as a Labour candidate – BBC News

Summary

Labour leader Keir Starmer says Diane Abbott is “free to go forward as a Labour candidate”, after days of speculation about her political future
Veteran left-winger Abbott claimed she had been banned from standing as a Labour candidate – something Starmer previously denied
Abbott was suspended as a Labour MP last year after saying Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face racism “all their lives”
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer and the SNP’s John Swinney have clashed over Labour’s plans for clean energy company “GB Energy”
The Labour leader, speaking in Scotland, said GB Energy would help the transition to Net Zero and ensure jobs for this generation and the next
Starmer says GB Energy is “not an energy company”, but an investment vehicle for up to £8bn of public money
But Swinney, speaking at the same time, says the move would be a “bodyblow” for jobs in Scotland’s oil and gas sector
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is in the north-west of England, as the Tories unveil plans to punish fly-tippers