Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is facing a dual controversy involving Diane Abbott and immigration policy. Diane Abbott has confirmed she will stand as a Labour candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington in the upcoming general election, denying reports that she was offered a peerage to step down. This follows a week of internal party disputes and accusations of mishandling her candidacy, with former Tony Blair advisor John McTernan calling the treatment 'disgraceful.' Angela Rayner has been reported to have influenced Starmer's decision. Simultaneously, Starmer has pledged to cut immigration, stating, 'Read my lips – I will bring immigration numbers down,' though he has not set specific targets or timelines. This pledge has been met with skepticism from various quarters, including accusations of inconsistency with his past positions on immigration. Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the pledge but refused to commit to specific numbers.
🔴 Diane Abbott appeared to accuse Keir Starmer of telling “more lies” on Sunday night, escalating a row over the hard-Left MP’s plans to stand for Labour in the election https://t.co/0PKDXgsPH6
"This week has been characterised by the factional divides in Labour" Diane Abbott appears to accuse Starmer of "more lies" in a deleted X post following news she will be standing as an MP for Labour in the next election says @CatNeilan political editor for Tortoise. https://t.co/Xyg99gB0mc
General Election LIVE: Diane Abbott unleashes fresh attack on Starmer - before quickly backtracking https://t.co/j3hQUlWnxQ
Diane Abbott Accuses Keir Starmer Of Telling 'Lies' Amid Selection Row https://t.co/diS4CgVHJq
🗳️ Diane Abbott vows to ‘run and to win’ as Labour’s candidate after bitter internal party row ✍️ @martinabettt https://t.co/Lx3KKkFj27 https://t.co/1KEMxDRr6h
Labour’s @YvetteCooperMP say they have a plan to cut immigration. But won’t say by how much. Son’t believe a word of it
Labour's Yvette Cooper vows to cut immigration figures - but refuses to say by how much and when, sparking mockery from Tories https://t.co/1pnhVwNDeg https://t.co/cdnu9Qwp8Q
Diane Abbott clashes with Keir Starmer again. She's now deleted the post. https://t.co/DM1spnpF1G
🚨 NEW: Diane Abbott has deleted a post accusing Keir Starmer of lying about respecting her https://t.co/HDCQC6zMwN
Abbott says she’ll run for Labour as insiders deny friendly peers plan https://t.co/zE6pq926Km
🔴 Diane Abbott has insisted she will stand for Labour in the election as she denied she had been offered a peerage to stand down Here are some key developments from Sunday on the campaign trail👇 https://t.co/LVl4v5vqdz https://t.co/EdcppxW2Os
Labour MP Diane Abbott says she will seek reelection in UK vote https://t.co/pldqV7f72J https://t.co/gtDVdmJxl7
“The suggestion that Diane Abbott would go quietly probably comes from people that don’t really know her.” Diane Abbott will be a “high motivated enemy on the back benches” after public row with Labour leadership says @CatNeilan, political editor at Tortoise Media. https://t.co/pHiCPcoH93
Diane Abbott says she will stand for Labour after candidacy row https://t.co/LIlUhB34fQ
Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott said she’ll seek reelection in the London district she’s held since 1987, ending a public row about her future that risked undermining her party’s campaign https://t.co/sKGv3r946s
Diane Abbott has announced that she intends to stand for Labour in her east London seat. https://t.co/ZDeNsCw5bS
Abbott confirms she ‘intends to run and win’ for Labour after left-wing purge row https://t.co/EN6elDrx6e
Diane Abbott says she WILL run for Labour in the General Election and shoots down claims she was offered a seat in the Lords - insisting 'I would not accept one' https://t.co/YGR9CMqX5E https://t.co/VP2DwU5szB
🔺 Update: Sir Keir Starmer is vowing to cut immigration as he seeks to move on from the row over an apparent purge of left-wing figures and the question of whether Diane Abbott will be a candidate 🔓 This article is free to read ⬇️ https://t.co/5Iv2nHLRsP
Diane Abbott confirms she will stand for Labour ✍️ Steerpike https://t.co/fdArtrQJ8b
Confirmed: Diane Abbott is running for Labour. https://t.co/uNmd0BLIOC
⚠️ UK LABOUR'S ABBOTT SAYS SHE INTENDS TO RUN IN ELECTION Full Story → https://t.co/ydoxgT4lZI https://t.co/E3QxlrnxvO
Diane Abbott says she is standing as Labour's candidate - and denies reports she was offered peerage to stand down. https://t.co/vtwCH4Jlho
Both Starmer and Diane Abbott have reportedly denied that this Lords offer was made, following the below Sunday Times article ⤵️ https://t.co/PrvXBEwziD
🗣️ Diane Abbott has insisted she is standing as a Labour candidate in the general election and would refuse a seat in the House of Lords Find out more👇 https://t.co/wc9Ti3vX8E https://t.co/feWWn0MULJ
The fact Starmer’s team are openly briefing that they’re offering peerages as bribes so they can get candidates to stand down - and then parachute in their mates - is disturbing. If the Tories did this, how would you rightly respond? Be honest, then be consistent. https://t.co/R3BxxjhIY5
NEW: 🗳️🔴 Diane Abbott announces on X her intention to run as a Labour candidate: “I am the adopted Labour candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. I intend to run and to win as Labour's candidate.”
BREAKING: Diane Abbott says that she intends to run as Labour's candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington She says she has never been opted a peerage and would not have accepted one even if she had Comes after allies suggested she may not run https://t.co/OKptZRMYQ7
Keir Starmer: “Read my lips: I will cut immigration.” https://t.co/wPPTbSd2oR
Sounds like Diane Abbott will run… also says she wouldn’t accept a peerage https://t.co/id3UUnJD0q
UK Labour leader Starmer: “Read my lips, I’ll bring down immigration” - Sun Newspaper
'It all went horribly wrong, with terrible headlines about how it was all handled - It sounds like Labour are planning to make a lot of people peers to balance out the House of Lords in order to get their legislation through' @forster_k on Starmer giving Diane Abbott a peerage. https://t.co/eJZCBYX2tx
Keir Starmer in The Sun: "Read my lips." Laura Kuenssberg and Henry Zeffman discuss the Labour leader's media strategy on the latest #BBCNewscast https://t.co/GxKod3Ndb1
🔴Diane Abbott may choose not to stand as a Labour MP, a close friend has suggested https://t.co/KdQlWJ3nSm
String of Labour MPs, some at best mediocre, being given peerages to make way for @Keir_Starmer rising stars. What did Starmer say about doing politics differently?
Labou Refutes Claims It Is Offering Peerages To Left-Wing MPs Who Promise To Step Down https://t.co/UlzGiQWBXQ
Starmer is offering Diane Abbott a place in the Lords because he doesn’t want left MPs in the Commons to hold him to account. He wants to give another one of his allies a safe Labour seat against the will of local members. He’s treating the Hackney North community with contempt https://t.co/YHWDnmcX3x
Labour are saying net migration 2024-29 will be lower than it is now (net 680k in 2023) but they don't believe in a target for 5 years time. Would 2024 Conservatives set a target? What would it be? Net 250k? (2019 level) Net 100k? (2010-19 target/missed) Net zero? (Reform)
Yvette Cooper dodges on claims Diane Abbott and other Labour MPs have been offered peerages to make way for Keir Starmer's cronies - as friend hints veteran left-winger might NOT stand on July 4 after all https://t.co/2KQrfmiZKb https://t.co/yYka9oncBC
‘Man of many skins!’ Starmer slammed over immigration U-turn as Labour’s ‘vacuous’ leader pledges crackdown https://t.co/FCoQfGls1T
#UK's #Starmer pledges crackdown on businesses using foreign workers https://t.co/dZfiRAJRbc
Starmer on Diane Abbott via @TomBaldwin66 https://t.co/74K0OLVPlE https://t.co/TTDPGDvFOl
Diane Abbott still weighing options, says peer, as Labour allegedly entices leftwing MPs to leave https://t.co/K2YSo6FkPh
Labour has refused to set specific targets on how it wants to reduce net migration to the UK should it win the General Election ✍: @richard_kaputt, @claudiasavage24 & @sophie_wing8 https://t.co/sliUUKkaUK
Up to Diane Abbott whether she stands for Labour, says Labour's Yvette Cooper https://t.co/6eL3dt3i3D
Labour's big election promise today is to bring legal migration down, but @YvetteCooperMP says party won't put a target or a timeframe on when they'd make a 'significant cut' https://t.co/QIASd8Wppv
Keir Starmer: Read my lips. https://t.co/L2AOvEY1Jd
After all the Labour drama of the week, Diane Abbott's friend @shamichakrabar1 tells us Abbott is still thinking about whether to go ahead with running as an MP, and she's been treated 'appallingly' by 'over grown schoolboys in suits' https://t.co/kkWABm9D3S
UK Labour's handling of Diane Abbott seals Kier Starmer's Black betrayal ✍ @richardsudan https://t.co/prUeuohArS
Labour ‘not setting a target’ for legal migration figures but wants numbers to ‘come down’, says Shadow Home Sec, Yvette Cooper. Cooper also won't say if Labour want figures above or below OBR net migration estimate of 336,000: ‘The OBR’s figures have been all over the place’. https://t.co/U2ztsztN33
General election latest: Labour refuses to set target for curbing migration as it says Abbott issue ‘resolved’ https://t.co/y63GtFZwC5
Diane Abbott still weighing options, says friend, as Labour allegedly entices leftwing MPs to leave https://t.co/dSC7yQGaXC
Labour denies left-wing MPs offered peerages to make way for allies of Starmer https://t.co/l6rV17KhMj
Up to Diane Abbott whether she stands for Labour - Cooper https://t.co/XzBaf5mXvR
“Diane continues to be a really important figure in the Labour party” Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says she is glad Diane Abbott is back in Labour and says she was “crucial” to scrutinising the government over the Windrush scandal #BBCLauraK https://t.co/TKtwgH52Wj https://t.co/VDJbdqPMEr
Labour refuses to set specific targets to cut net migration insisting aim is to ‘make significant difference’ to numbers https://t.co/HfB2iDFi1o
Shadow Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP denies that Keir Starmer’s pledge to bring down net migration is an anti-growth policy. 📻 https://t.co/7ZZ4elrmz2 @adamboultonTABB | #TimesRadio | @KateEMcCann https://t.co/SNAy5IuXUw
.@CamillaTominey asks @YvetteCooperMP if, as the front page of The Sunday Times reports, that Diane Abbott has been offered a seat in the Lords if she steps down. The Shadow Home Secretary says it's not something she's aware of and not every front page story is totally accurate. https://t.co/gemmY2LacX
“It’s been pretty appalling” Baroness Chakrabarti says people have been trying to “bully” her "dear friend" Labour MP Diane Abbott after reports that she was to be barred as a candidate. Labour has now said she can stand if she wishes to #BBCLauraK https://t.co/TKtwgH52Wj https://t.co/h76LExbK1m
Cooper Denies Starmer Offering Peerages to MPs to Step Down https://t.co/9ehARY2joF https://t.co/OZjghtEtk0
Yvette Cooper on suggestions of peerages being offered to MPs including Diane Abbott says she's not heard of such a deal... "That's not how the system works... no party can do that, there's an independent process. "As you would expect, as the shadow home secretary, I don't have…
Yvette Cooper tells @lewis_goodall net migration will come down by a "significant" amount with Labour's plan for new law to link Migration Advisory Committee with Skills England to increase apprenticeships at home But no number there, no indication of exactly how that would cut…
'Keir Starmer will never cut migration', ex borders minister blasts https://t.co/qcvUWfrzCK
Allies of Diane Abbott say they can see a World in which she doesn't stand as Labour MP for Hackney North They say 'she has made her point' - she has succeeded into forcing Starmer to back down - and could now go under her own terms They suggest Diane is thinking about it in…
Read this signed letter, in which Sir Keir Starmer promises to: - close immigration detention centres - liberalise family reunion - let asylum seekers work - give foreigners the vote (1/2) https://t.co/hgNbfINKIO
When asked “why wasn’t Keir Starmer straight about the Diane Abbott investigation and it’s conclusion some 5 months prior?” Yvette Cooper completely side steps the central point and rambles on about process, independent, blah, process more blah, blah. https://t.co/D6HHvG2fwE
'I hope she will now after this sometimes sordid week of unauthorised, anonymous briefings...she will take some time to consider what she wants to do," Baroness Chakrabarti tells @bbclaurak on whether her friend Diane Abbott should stand as Labour MP https://t.co/w9WP67RgQt
Labour denies Starmer offering peerages to MPs to step down https://t.co/4Ihjs3zIq0
Keir Starmer is vowing to cut immigration while Rishi Sunak is focusing on healthcare as the two party leaders attempt to re-energise their general election campaigns. 🔓 This article is free to read Follow our live updates ⬇️ https://t.co/bIKlXQbJW7
'Keir Starmer can't work out whether Diane Abbott should be an MP' The Conservatives' @VictoriaAtkins accuses the Labour leader of "ejecting women" from candidate lists to 'insert his boys club' https://t.co/hkpMSgcbaK 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/Hpuh0ylnhO
Diane Abbott is expected to be Labour’s candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, a senior party figure said. https://t.co/myel8TGrrD
Will Diane Abbott stand as a Labour MP after the furore of the past week? Baroness Chakrabarti, a close ally of Diane Abbott, says she has been the victim of a 'sometimes sordid week of unauthorised anonymous briefings by overgrown schoolboys in suits' On whether Abbott will…
Yvette Cooper on treatment of Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott): On claims Abbott offered a peerage: “Not that I know of.” On Abbott standing again: “I’d obviously support her… but it’s Diane’s decision.” #BBCLauraK
Very interesting from Shami Chakrabarti and Yvette Cooper on Diane Abbott's future. Chakrabarti, who is very close friends with Abbott, says: "I want her to decide what she wants to do and take a few days over that."
NEW: Shadow Health Secretary @YvetteCooperMP tells me a Labour government would cut net migration by a "significant" number, but won't commit to a time scale or an exact figure. More on Sunday with Lewis Goodall on @LBC from 10...
Shadow home secretary @YvetteCooperMP denies reports that party leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised seats in the House of Lords to Labour MPs, so that they could stand aside for hand-picked candidates. https://t.co/hkpMSgcbaK 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/0VkaXuTGcv
🔵 Labour’s Yvette Cooper has denied MPs are being offered peerages in order to step down from their seats 🚨 Follow our live blog for the latest updates ⬇️ https://t.co/2upro1gZzm
Yvette Cooper defends accepting Natalie Elphicke and Mark Logan into Labour, saying: 'We want people to change their minds' She also tells Sky News that she 'assumes' that Diane Abbott will stand for Labour. 'I'm very glad it's been resolved for Diane. She continues to be a very…
This was Keir Starmer speaking in 2020, back then he thought immigration was a good thing for the UK economy. Yesterday he gave an interview to the S*n in which he said: "Read my lips: I will bring immigration numbers down." He can not be trusted! https://t.co/EgeZqoO651
EXCL: Keir Starmer says ‘read my lips – I will cut immigration’ and vows to crack down on foreign visas and train more Brits ✍️ @kateferguson4 https://t.co/fqOD5QMNbE https://t.co/F7418JCwoZ
Yvette Cooper cannot answer @TrevorPTweets' question: why was Diane Abbott not a decision for Starmer one day, but then it was a decision for him the next
My Labour government will cut immigration. We will expand opportunities for people in Britain, training more UK workers and protecting working conditions. https://t.co/SW4HViyipI
"Nobody has raised it with me on the doorstep" Shadow home secretary @YvetteCooperMP says she's "glad" the row over Diane Abbott's candidacy is resolved, but claims it isn't cutting through. https://t.co/hkpMSgcbaK 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/iyYz6zqasx
"I assume so" says Labour's Yvette Cooper when asked whether Diana Abbott will now be the candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.
Keir Starmer claims he WILL cut immigration - but refuses to set a target or say how long it will take https://t.co/H88nAjSd7E https://t.co/f1LbQQzDCq
Starmer pledges crackdown on businesses using foreign workers https://t.co/yihV0oHdOk https://t.co/pXpNcgiD0S
Read my lips? Judge Starmer on his record: The man who said “there’s a racist undercurrent” to all immigration laws. And fought to stop foreign criminals being deported. He doesn’t want to reduce immigration or stop the boats. Never did. Never will. https://t.co/7pNtPu4mwV
🇬🇧 Labour Offers MPs Peerages To Step Down ▫Diane Abbott and others could go to Lords as Keir Starmer seeks to reward allies with seats ▫@cazjwheeler @Gabriel_Pogrund #frontpagestoday #UK @thetimes 🇬🇧 https://t.co/UgpZRi1mxG
That exclusive interview with Keir Starmer in the paper today. “Read my lips, I’ll bring down immigration.” https://t.co/LsCgxV9WJc
Net migration is already falling (from historically high levels), thanks to the measures the govt has brought in. The question Starmer needs to answer isn’t whether he will bring it down, but what kind of level he thinks it should be brought down to.
Labour MPs including Diane Abbott have been offered peerages to stand down and make way for Sir Keir Starmer’s chosen candidates ⬇️ https://t.co/i8sp9aaSm3
Starmer announces plans to lower legal migration https://t.co/XWFvpcQQqv
We’re old enough to remember when Keir Starmer was selling himself as the man to ‘defend migrants rights’. Either he was lying then or he’s lying now? You can’t have it both ways! #LabourBetrayal 🥀 https://t.co/YnRpbsGrrF
Left-wing Labour MPs have been offered peerages to stop them from seeking re-election, reports claim https://t.co/lM1csnhVXB
No one believes @Keir_Starmer saying he will cut immigration' as he tries to copy @reformparty_uk policy https://t.co/PftM651xSC
Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban employers who break employment law from hiring workers from abroad, in an attempt to shrink net migration numbers https://t.co/wMsNpzGlqr
Keir Starmer isn’t even pretending anymore he is trying to out do the Tories with his anti foreigner rhetoric "Read my lips: I will bring immigration numbers down." @Keir_Starmer He unveils a double lock to curb numbers 🔒 Lock 1: Bosses who break employment law will be… https://t.co/iLVMlcGyhF
🚨 NEW: Diane Abbott has reportedly been offered a seat in the House of Lords by Keir Starmer if she stands down as an MP before GE2024. (Via The Times) https://t.co/W57k8ySM94
Keir Starmer has offered a peerage to Diane Abbott if she steps down as a Labour candidate. Keir Starmer is the same guy who pledged to abolish the House of Lords to ‘restore trust in politics’. A real “change” is coming. 🥴
🚨 BREAKING: Diane Abbott has been offered a peerage by Keir Starmer if she quits as a Labour candidate [@thetimes]
For over 2 years, I faced constant demands from @Keir_Starmer's Labour for more immigration, not less, plus opposition to deporting foreign national offenders. It's not just remarkable to hear him say this now, but a contrast to everything he has stood for before. https://t.co/MbE6Zo51Bj
Sir Keir Starmer declined to answer questions about Diane Abbott as he sought to move on from the row, but Rishi Sunak deployed it as an attack line in a stump speech. Here are the key moments from day 10 of the campaign ✍: @sophie_wing8 https://t.co/LEpthLMF1O
'I don't know who's advising Keir Starmer that this was the right way to treat Diane Abbott.' Caller Archana tells Natasha Devon that Keir Starmer's handling of Diane Abbott has made her consider voting Green or Independent. https://t.co/unQRXpRist
🗳️ NEW: Keir Starmer: Read My Lips: I will cut immigration 🗳️ Labour leader's first interview with The Sun on Sunday ✍️ @kateferguson4 https://t.co/M5ifrV82RJ
🚨 NEW: Keir Starmer has pledged to cut immigration by banning "bad bosses" from hiring overseas workers and training more Brits "Read my lips - I will bring immigration numbers down." [@kateferguson4]
Starmer to @kateferguson4: “Read my lips - I will bring immigration numbers down. If you trust me with the keys to No10 I will make you this promise: I will control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first.” https://t.co/KD6iYJ2miW
Keir Starmer says immigration under a Labour government will be lower than the level now (which is net 685,000). He does not say what the level should be. There is every chance that this is a deliverable commitment, given the current high level. https://t.co/BSJs91VGVm
EXCL: Sir Keir Starmer unveils a manifesto pledge to cut the number of immigrants coming to Britain! He makes the landmark commitment in excl interview with Sun on Sunday. Labour leader says he will ban "bad bosses" hiring overseas & train more Brits https://t.co/mb1AJY5vHI
'I think that Diane Abbott is probably quite tired at this point and wants to retire.' Natasha Devon gives her view on the Diane Abbott saga, arguing that Keir Starmer could have 'sent her on her way with her legacy and reputation as intact as it could be'. https://t.co/UPGHp3qB9Y
“Starmer has picked a fight that he can’t win.” Diane Abbott has been told that she is ‘free to stand’ as a Labour candidate in the upcoming general election after Starmer had previously stated that her candidacy was “out of his hands.” @thejamesmax | @theousherwood | #Talk
'It was professionally shocking to me to see how badly it was handled.' Former Adviser to Tony Blair John McTernan tells @MattFrei that Labour's treatment of Diane Abbott has been 'disgraceful', but 'the right result has happened'. https://t.co/zESpeEC130
Keir Starmer really didn’t want to speak about Diane Abbott today So here’s me asking @Keir_Starmer about @HackneyAbbott today (I was speaking in a pooled clip on behalf of all broadcasters) https://t.co/XkdlRdOiqj
"I dealt with that issue yesterday" Sir Keir Starmer dodges the question when asked about Labour allowing Diane Abbott to stand as a candidate in the election. https://t.co/MIs3eg4Whb 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/4lhR10IEeo
🔴 Sir Keir Starmer refused to answer questions about Diane Abbott as Labour launched its “battle bus” in Uxbridge Follow the latest 👇 https://t.co/j2MBCwyQyZ https://t.co/YeDnBvJhrk
Keir Starmer really didn’t want to speak about Diane Abbott today So here’s me asking @Keir_Starmer about @HackneyAbbott today https://t.co/17rHtdALst
'It was professionally shocking to me to see how badly it was handled.' Former Advisor to Tony Blair John McTernan expresses to @MattFrei that Labour's treatment of Diane Abbott has 'disgraceful', but 'the right result has happened'. https://t.co/q1gKJU4Y98
"I dealt with that issue yesterday" Sir Keir Starmer dodges the question when Sky's @serenabarksing asks him about Labour allowing Diane Abbott to stand as a candidate in the election. https://t.co/MIs3eg4Whb 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/sVEZzAbeib
🔴 Liz Kendall, the shadow work and pensions secretary, has denied Sir Keir Starmer was forced into a U-turn by his deputy Angela Rayner over reports Labour central command had blocked Diane Abbott from standing as a candidate Follow the latest 👇 https://t.co/j2MBCwyQyZ https://t.co/nZT7bNzRo4
Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall tells #TimesRadio she makes "no apologies" for the process behind the decision to let Diane Abbott stand as a Labour MP at the general election. 📻 https://t.co/BBBj0o6u9U @LeicesterLiz | @CalumAM | @RosieWright99 https://t.co/rspQwmPbOv