Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Diane Abbott: Lack of charity

By Amit Roy

DIANE ABBOTT does not attack other black politicians but, sadly, has shown little generosity of spirit in dealing with two Asian MPs, Priti Patel and Keith Vaz.


Having herself suffered vile abuse as a black woman, it is a matter of regret that Abbott displayed a remarkable willingness to knife Asian colleagues.

Following Sir Philip Rutnam’s resignation as permanent secretary at the Home Office, she lost no time calling for “a genuinely independent inquiry” into allegations of bullying levelled against the home secretary.

“I’m afraid it would be better if she stood down,” Abbott told Radio 4’s Today programme. “We are calling on her to step down while the inquiry goes on.”

She might argue that she was just doing her job as shadow home secretary. But what are her thoughts as she sees Patel doing the job that had eluded her?

Before the general election last year, Abbott was on the Today programme calling for Vaz to stand down as the Labour candidate for Leicester East.

“I think he should consider his position. I think he himself should agree not to be a candidate,” said Abbott, inexcusably dragging Vaz’s family into her attack.

“It has been a very sad issue, not just for him but for his family and his children.”

When it was put to her that the Labour whip had not yet been withdrawn from Vaz, Abbott responded: “Not yet, but I think Keith should consider his position.”

It didn’t matter that both Abbott and Vaz had entered the Commons together in 1987.

Abbott has said that when the new Labour leader is elected, she will step down as shadow home secretary and return to the backbenches. There is no certainty she would have been retained in the shadow cabinet.

I leave to one side allegations that Abbott herself has been a bit of a bully.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph has been approached by a senior civil servant who told the paper that Rutman “undermined the integrity” of his profession by “declaring war” on Patel.

“I think it sets a dangerous precedent – senior civil servants trying to take down a democratically elected minister,” the official said.

More For You

One year on, Starmer still has no story — but plenty of regrets

Sir Keir Starmer

Getty Images

One year on, Starmer still has no story — but plenty of regrets

Do not expect any parties in Downing Street to celebrate the government’s first birthday on Friday (4). After a rocky year, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had more than a few regrets when giving interviews about his first year in office.

He explained that he chose the wrong chief of staff. That his opening economic narrative was too gloomy. That choosing the winter fuel allowance as a symbol of fiscal responsibility backfired. Starmer ‘deeply regretted’ the speech he gave to launch his immigration white paper, from which only the phrase ‘island of strangers’ cut through. Can any previous political leader have been quite so self-critical of their own record in real time?

Keep ReadingShow less
starmer-bangladesh-migration
Sir Keir Starmer
Getty Images

Comment: Can Starmer turn Windrush promises into policy?

Anniversaries can catalyse action. The government appointed the first Windrush Commissioner last week, shortly before Windrush Day, this year marking the 77th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Britain.

The Windrush generation came to Britain believing what the law said – that they were British subjects, with equal rights in the mother country. But they were to discover a different reality – not just in the 1950s, but in this century too. It is five years since Wendy Williams proposed this external oversight in her review of the lessons of the Windrush scandal. The delay has damaged confidence in the compensation scheme. Williams’ proposal had been for a broader Migrants Commissioner role, since the change needed in Home Office culture went beyond the treatment of the Windrush generation itself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s ‘Sapphire’ collaboration misses the mark

The song everyone is talking about this month is Sapphire – Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Arijit Singh. But instead of a true duet, Arijit takes more of a backing role to the British pop superstar, which is a shame, considering he is the most followed artist on Spotify. The Indian superstar deserved a stronger presence on the otherwise catchy track. On the positive side, Sapphire may inspire more international artists to incorporate Indian elements into their music. But going forward, any major Indian names involved in global collaborations should insist on equal billing, rather than letting western stars ride on their popularity.

  Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Keep ReadingShow less
If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

Portraits of Iranian military generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel’s last Friday (13) attack, are seen above a road, as heavy smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Teheran hit in an overnight Israeli strike last Sunday (15)

If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

THERE is one question to which none of us has the answer: if the ayatollahs are toppled, who will take over in Teheran?

I am surprised that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, has lasted as long as he has. He is 86, and would achieve immortality as a “martyr” in the eyes of regime supporters if the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, succeeded in assassinating him. This was apparently Netanyahu’s plan, though he was apparently dissuaded by US president Donald Trump from going ahead with the killing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

A woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England

Getty Images

Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

WAS a national inquiry needed into so-called grooming gangs? Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer did not think so in January, but now accepts Dame Louise Casey’s recommendation to commission one.

The previous Conservative government – having held a seven-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse – started loudly championing a new national inquiry once it lost the power to call one. Casey explains why she changed her mind too after her four-month, rapid audit into actions taken and missed on group-based exploitation and abuse. A headline Casey theme is the ‘shying away’ from race.

Keep ReadingShow less