Defiant Diane Abbott tells huge crowd in Hackney she WILL stand to be an MP again and that she 'will not be intimidated' following claims she had been 'bullied' within Labour after Keir Starmer's race row probe

Diane Abbott has tonight warned that she 'will not be intimidated' as she vowed to stay on as the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington for 'as long as it is possible'.

The Labour veteran broke cover today as Sir Keir Starmer's party struggled to contain a row over whether she has been blocked from standing as a candidate at the July 4 general election.

Mr Starmer is facing a mounting backlash over the treatment of Ms Abbott, 70, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987.

Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid an investigation into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April 2023. However, it has emerged that the race row probe ended months ago.

Britain's first black female MP had the Labour whip restored yesterday, but initially appeared to confirm this morning that she had been banned from standing.

The situation descended into confusion again hours later when she posted on social media that she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' she would not be allowed to stand.

Addressing a crowd of around 200 supporters outside Hackney Town Hall this evening, she said: 'You have always stood with me, in good times and bad. And I will always stand with you. I am not going to allow myself to be intimidated. I am going to be your MP for as long as I am allowed to.

'I remember when I first ran as a Labour MP all the way back in 1987 people thought I couldn't win.

'People thought you couldn't elect a black woman to parliament because it had never been done before. But local people went out, campaigned, knocked on doors and made me Britain's first black woman member of parliament.

'And I have to keep faith with that loyalty - I have to keep faith with my principles, I have to keep faith with supporting and speaking up for equalities, poor people, for the community here in Hackney.

'So I promise you that as long as it is possible, I will be the member of parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.'

Ms Abbott's comments will deliver a stark warning to Labour that if they do not allow her to stand, she may continue to run as an independent.

Mr Starmer has already faced this with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is running as an independent in Islington North. 

After reports emerged that Ms Abbott had been blocked from standing as a Labour MP, Mr Starmer insisted that was 'not true', telling reporters: 'No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott.

'The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so she's a member of the parliamentary Labour Party and no decision has been taken barring her.'

Mr Starmer is facing anger from even his allies at Labour's treatment of Ms Abbott.

John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.'

He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful.

'Whoever is responsible for this should hang their head in shame.'

Asked during a round of interviews whether he felt 'comfortable about what's happened here', Mr Streeting said: 'No, not particularly.'

He told Times Radio: 'I know that Diane had the whip restored and her suspension lifted yesterday. This was following her suspension over remarks that she made, for which she later apologised. So I know at this stage, in terms of decisions about her candidature, as much as has been reported.'

He added: 'I think this has gone on for a very long time. But I'm here this morning to talk about the NHS waiting lists and I say this with enormous respect for everything that Diane has achieved in politics.'