Treasury Minister James Murray has denied allegations that the Labour Party leadership is attempting to expel veteran MP Diane Abbott, following her second suspension from the party over comments about racism. Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was suspended this week after stating in a BBC Radio 4 interview that she had no regrets about the events surrounding her 2023 suspension, which stemmed from a letter she wrote to a newspaper. In that letter, Abbott suggested that people of colour face racism throughout their lives, distinct from the “prejudice” experienced by Jewish people, Irish people, and Travellers, prompting backlash from those communities.

Abbott apologized for her 2023 remarks and was briefly reinstated to stand as a Labour candidate in the general election. However, her recent comments, recorded in May 2025 for BBC Radio 4’s Reflections series, reignited controversy. She argued that racism based on skin colour differs from other forms, as “you see straight away that [a Black person is] Black,” unlike Jewish or Traveller identities, which may not be immediately visible. Abbott defended her remarks as “factually correct” in a statement to BBC Newsnight and shared a clip of the interview on social media, intensifying the debate.

Murray, speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, insisted that the Labour leadership was not targeting Abbott, emphasizing that her suspension followed a “standard process” for an internal investigation. He urged that the process be allowed to proceed without interference to resolve the matter swiftly. Labour has declined to comment further while the investigation is ongoing, leaving Abbott to sit as an independent MP after losing the party whip.

Abbott’s remarks have drawn support from some left-wing Labour MPs, including Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Richard Burgon, Ian Lavery, and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, now an independent. Jacqueline McKenzie, a lawyer and friend of Abbott, told BBC Radio London that the MP’s words were being “weaponised” against her, despite her lifelong fight against racism, including antisemitism. McKenzie noted that Abbott was apologizing for any offence caused but stood by her view that racism manifests differently across groups.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, however, expressed concern in The Guardian, stating that Abbott’s decision to “double down” on her earlier comments posed a challenge, given the party’s stance against antisemitism. In the BBC interview, Abbott rejected accusations of antisemitism, asserting her commitment to fighting all forms of racism, shaped partly by her diverse constituency.

The controversy echoes findings from a 2022 report by Martin Forde KC, which highlighted Labour’s factionalism and suggested that administrative suspensions were sometimes used strategically to sideline certain members. As the longest-serving female MP, elected in 1987, Abbott remains a polarizing figure, expressing gratitude for her role while accusing the party leadership of seeking her removal.