An entire year has passed since the Labour Party suspended Diane Abbott pending investigation for setting up her own handy racism hierarchy. Soon enough she declared the racism investigation racist…

Guido checked with Labour today that the investigation was still ongoing. They must really be poring over those 126 words…

When Starmer asked Abbott what he could do to help in the wake of Tory donor Frank Hester’s fruity remarks, she said “You could restore the whip.” No such luck. Her chum Angela Rayner has so far been unsuccessful in getting her back into the fold…

Internal sources say she ain’t coming back. Starmer has already called the comments antisemitic. Maybe they could wind up their extensive investigation. Judging by Bercow’s record stint under the spotlight Guido isn’t sure they will…

At the unproductive press gallery lunch Rayner was asked about Diane Abbott’s potential return to the Labour fold. She said:

“I can’t really talk about individual cases because I wouldn’t know but I would like to see Diane back, as a person I would like to see Diane back. But the Labour Party has to follow procedures.“

Those “procedures” have dragged on for quite a bit of time now. 326 days have passed since Abbott was suspended for her 200-word letter. The choice to keep her out is a political one.

Despite rantings from the left of the party, senior personnel in Labour HQ are not keen on seeing Diane come back. An internal source tells Guido in no uncertain terms: “Abbott is a victim of racism, but that doesn’t stop her from being racist. This is a test for Keir. Everyone can see it.” Guido isn’t convinced that Starmer and his deputy are on the same page…

As expected, PMQs was taken over by top Tory donor Frank Hester’s comment that Diane Abbott made him want “to hate all black women“. After 12 hours of dithering, No 10 finally said the words were “wrong and racist” last night, though it didn’t prevent a feisty back and forth between the two leaders, and a fair few others, today. After commending former PM Theresa May for her work as an MP (which Sunak refrained from doing) Starmer made it his mission to attack Sunak and demand the Tories pay back the hefty £10 million that Hester has given them. The whipless Abbott sat glumly on the backbenches, itching to ask a question…

Another year, another war the hard left Corbynistas rally against. Old Jezza is back at it again, this time leading the cry against   the UK and US’ military action in Yemen against the Islamist rebel Houthi group, blasting the government’s decision as “reckless“. A reminder: Houthi’s slogan is “God is great, death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam.”

Fellow hard left Labour MPs have taken to social media to join Jeremy’s rallying cry against Sunak’s decision not to recall parliament and Starmer’s support for the strikes. Apsana Begum called the action “dangerous”, while  Dianne Abbott has condemned Starmer for supporting the strikes. Kim Johnson and Claudia Webbe are among the names of Labour MPs blasting the strikes against the Houthis.

This isn’t new for Labour, back in 2019, Labour MP LLoyd Russell-Moyle was blasted by Jewish Labour groups for inviting a top Houthi figure to a Stop the War Coalition meeting in the Commons. Guido’s sure there will be more loony lefties attacking the strikes to come…

Infighting continues in Labourland, as Diane Abbott wrote a scathing letter last night to her own party, claiming that she “will not get a fair hearing” in the racism investigation into her because… of racism. The Labour MP had the whip withdrawn over her notorious comments about Jewish people to the Observer. Rebuking the party’s investigation, she wrote:

“The internal Labour Party disciplinary against me is fraudulent…As a Black woman, and someone on the left of the Labour Party, I have unfortunately been forced to reach the conclusion that I will not get a fair hearing from this Labour leadership.”

Her close friend Jeremy Corbyn was quick to her defence, claiming that the “the latest stitch up” against Abbott a “disgrace“. Fellow Labour lefty MP Beth Winter joined in, calling the party’s candidate selection process “undemocratic and discriminatory” after she lost out to a front bench colleague. Government in waiting…

On Sunday morning, Diane Abbott was quick to get out in front of voices criticising her “antisemitic” Observer letter. She swiftly apologised, blaming “the errors” on “an initial draft being sent”. True to form, Diane’s defence doesn’t add up.

The Jewish Chronicle today reports that Diane submitted two letters to the Observer, each hours apart. After the first attempt, she was prompted to resubmit the letter including an address and after a few hours – with plenty of time to make adjustments -Diane sent the letter again. Both submissions were identical.

To make matters worse, the email came from Diane’s personal email address and a whole week elapsed – without any attempts at correction – between the letter’s submission and publication. To be fair to Diane, she hasn’t always advanced the view she held out on the Observer’s letter page. It also baffles Guido that the Observer missed the story entirely. 

It is all the more bizarre that she downgraded antisemitism to prejudice when during a debate on antisemitism in April 2018, she came out strongly and clearly against that very position, arguing passionately:

“I came into politics to fight racism and I have never resiled from that position. For me, it has always been the case that racism includes antisemitism. Jew hatred is race hatred, and one antisemite in the Labour party is one too many.”

It might surprise some to read that Guido is leaning towards thinking that the increasingly befuddled Diane should be an object of our sympathy rather than condemnation…