Britain’s Labour Party has readmitted Diane Abbott, the country’s longest-serving female MP, ending a suspension she received over controversial comments about racism. The party confirmed on Thursday, July 30, 2026, that Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, had been readmitted and had the whip restored – the formal party endorsement needed to sit as a Labour MP rather than an independent.

Abbott's readmission follows a process conducted under party rules and approved by an independent review board. She had been suspended in July 2025 after suggesting in a BBC interview that Jewish, Irish, and Traveller people did not experience racism in the same way as those targeted due to their skin colour. This statement contradicted her earlier remarks and led to significant debate within the party and among advocacy groups.

In a statement released on social media, Abbott clarified that she had been issued a formal warning over a separate post where she referred to the Israeli Defence Force as the “Jewish Defence Force.” She acknowledged that this wording wrongly conflated the actions of the Israeli state with the Jewish community and expressed deep sorrow for any hurt caused by her language.

Joani Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, was also reinstated on Thursday after voluntarily stepping back from the party following her husband's arrest on suspicion of assisting China's intelligence service. A Labour spokesperson emphasized that both readmission decisions were made independently of party leadership and without political influence.

The decisions come shortly after a change in party leadership, with Andy Burnham succeeding Keir Starmer as leader and UK prime minister earlier this month. Burnham has expressed a desire to distance the party from its previous stance on certain issues. Abbott's case had been a divisive issue, with a significant portion of the party's left wing strongly supporting her, and a petition calling for her reinstatement garnered over 38,000 signatures.

Abbott, who was elected in 1987 as the first Black female MP, has a long history as a vocal campaigner against racism in the United Kingdom. However, some Jewish organizations, such as the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council, had called for caution, requesting clear evidence of genuine remorse before any restoration of the whip.

This marks the second time Abbott has faced suspension. She was initially suspended for her comments on racism in 2023, readmitted the following year, and then suspended again in 2025 following the BBC interview. Critics of the former leadership have accused them of deliberately pushing out Abbott and other MPs from the party's left wing. Two Labour MPs, Karl Turner and another unnamed individual, remain suspended from the party.