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[[Category:Labour Members of Parliament]]
[[Category:Labour Members of Parliament]]


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'''Diane Julie Abbott''' (born 27 September 1953) is a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician who was appointed [[Shadow Home Secretary]] in October 2016. She was first elected as the [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Hackney North and Stoke Newington (UK Parliament constituency)|Hackney North and Stoke Newington]] at the [[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987 general election]], when she became the first black woman to hold a seat in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].<ref name="DIDiscs DA">{{cite episode |title=''Desert Island Discs'' featuring Diane Abbott |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs_20080518.shtml
'''Diane Julie Abbott''' (born 27 September 1953) was appointed Shadow Home Secretary in October 2016. She was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for [[Hackney North and Stoke Newington]] at the 1987 general election, when she became the first black woman to hold a seat in the House of Commons.
|series=Desert Island Discs |serieslink=Desert Island Discs |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] |airdate=18 May 2008}}http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vkhjc</ref>

Born in [[Paddington]], London, Abbott studied History at [[Newnham College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]].<ref name=BBC5Jan2012>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/10276583|title=Profile: Diane Abbott|publisher=BBC|date=January 5, 2012|accessdate=October 13, 2017}}</ref> She worked in the Civil Service and as a reporter for [[Thames Television]] and [[TV-am]] before becoming a press officer for the [[Greater London Council]]. Abbott was elected to Westminster City Council in 1982 and as MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington in 1987. She unsuccessfully stood in the 2010 Labour leadership election, but was appointed as Shadow Minister for Public Health by [[Ed Miliband]]. She also unsuccessfully attempted to be the Labour candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election.

Abbott supported Jeremy Corbyn in his bid to become leader, and was appointed [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development]]. After multiple resignations in the Shadow Cabinet, she was promoted to [[Shadow Health Secretary]], and further promoted to [[Shadow Home Secretary]] after Andy Burnham left to contest the Manchester Mayoral election. Following a series of poor interviews in the run-up to the 2017 election, Abbott was temporarily replaced as Shadow Home Secretary by [[Lyn Brown (politician)|Lyn Brown]]. After the election, Abbott revealed that she suffered from type 2 diabetes, saying that it had affected her performance. With her condition back under control, she returned to her position.

Abbott is seen as being on the left of the Labour party and has voted against the party on several occasions, voting against the Iraq War, the introduction of ID cards and the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent. She has appeared frequently in the media, featuring in ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'', and other programmes.

==Early life and career==

Abbott was born to [[Jamaica]]n parents in [[Paddington]], [[London]], in 1953. Her father was a [[welder]] and her mother was a [[nurse]].<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite book| url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/a/appiah-africana.html |title=Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience | editor=Appiah, Kwame Anthony |editor2=Henry Louis Gates, Jr. | publisher=Basic Civitas Books | year=1999 | accessdate=31 July 2013 | ISBN=0-465-00071-1
}}</ref> She attended Harrow County Grammar School for Girls, and then [[Newnham College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]], where she read [[history]].<ref name="FotW">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3247947.stm |title=UK &#124; Magazine &#124; Faces of the week |publisher=BBC News |date=7 November 2003 |accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref> At Cambridge, she was tutored by historian [[Simon Schama]].<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_week/7575239.stm |publisher=BBC News | title=Simon Schama on the American right | date=21 August 2008 | accessdate=27 March 2010}}</ref> She has since said that Cambridge was the making of her.<ref name="tcs.cam.ac.uk">Naomi O'Leary, [http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/interviews/0008982-diane-abbott-cambridge-was-the-making-of-me.html "Diane Abbott – ‘Cambridge was the making of me’"], ''The Cambridge Student'', 1 May 2012.</ref>

After university she became an administration trainee (a fast track route to senior positions in HM Civil Service)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faststream.gov.uk/ |title=Home &#124; Civil Service Fast Stream |publisher=Faststream.gov.uk |date= |accessdate=18 June 2017}}</ref> at the [[Home Office]] (1976 to 1978), and then a Race Relations Officer at the [[Liberty (pressure group)|National Council for Civil Liberties]] (1978 to 1980).<ref name="Vote2001">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/2/28601.stm|title=Vote 2001: Candidates: Diane Abbott|year=2001|publisher=BBC|accessdate=21 May 2010}}</ref>
Abbott was a researcher and reporter at [[Thames Television]] from 1980 to 1983 and then a researcher at the breakfast television company [[TV-am]] from 1983 to 1985.<ref name=Voice>Marc Wadsworth, [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/diane-abbott-she-wont-be-quitting-any-time-soon "Diane Abbott: 'She Won't Be Quitting Any Time Soon'"], ''[[The Voice (newspaper)|The Voice]]'', 15 June 2017.</ref> Abbott was a press officer at the [[Greater London Council]] under [[Ken Livingstone]] from 1985 to 1986 and Head of Press and Public Relations at [[Lambeth Council]] from 1986 to 1987.<ref name="Vote2001"/>


==Political career==
==Political career==
Abbott's career in politics began in 1982 when she was elected to [[Westminster City Council]], serving until 1986. In 1983 she was active in the Black Sections movement, alongside [[Bernie Grant]], [[Paul Boateng]] and [[Keith Vaz]], campaigning for greater ethnic minority political representation.<ref>Stephen Bush, [http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/01/having-last-laugh "Having the last laugh"], ''New Statesman'', 17 January 2017.</ref><ref name=Voice /> In 1985 she unsuccessfully fought to be selected in [[Brent East (UK Parliament constituency)|Brent East]], losing out to [[Ken Livingstone]].<ref>Seumas Milne, [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/29/ken-livingstone-mp-brent-east-labour "From the archive, 29 April 1985: Ken Livingstone wins fight for Brent East nomination"], ''The Guardian'', 29 April 2015.</ref> In 1987 she was elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], replacing the deselected serving Labour MP [[Ernie Roberts]] as MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. Abbott was the first black woman to become an MP, elected in the same year as Keith Vaz, Bernie Grant and Paul Boateng.<ref>Huma Qureshi [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/20/diane-abbott-racism-interview "Diane Abbott: 'You can't let racism hold you back'"], ''The Guardian'', 20 September 2012.</ref>
Abbott's career in politics began in 1982 when she was elected to Westminster City Council, serving until 1986. In 1983 she was active in the Black Sections movement, alongside Bernie Grant, Paul Boateng and Keith Vaz, campaigning for greater ethnic minority political representation. In 1985 she unsuccessfully fought to be selected in Brent East, losing out to Ken Livingstone. In 1987 she was elected to the House of Commons, replacing the deselected serving Labour MP Ernie Roberts as MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. Abbott was the first black woman to become an MP, elected in the same year as Keith Vaz, Bernie Grant and Paul Boateng.

[[File:Diane Abbott low quality.jpg|thumb|Diane Abbott at the third [[European Social Forum]] in 2006.]]

Abbott's speech on civil liberties, in the debate on the [[Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080611/debtext/80611-0016.htm#08061189001347 |title=Hansard 11 June 2008 col 379 |publisher=Publications.parliament.uk |date=11 June 2008 |accessdate=20 May 2010}}</ref> won ''[[The Spectator]]'' magazine's "Parliamentary Speech of the Year" award<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2008/11/parliamentarian-of-the-year-awards-recipients-2008/ |title=Parliamentarian of the Year Awards Recipients 2008 |accessdate=5 September 2017 |work=[[The Spectator]] |date=20 November 2008}}</ref> and further recognition at the 2008 Human Rights awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/view=newsarticle.law?NEWSID=416158 |title=The Law Society |publisher=The Law Society |date=9 December 2008 |accessdate=5 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927171141/http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/view%3Dnewsarticle.law?NEWSID=416158 |archivedate=27 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Abbott has served on a number of parliamentary committees on social and international issues and held shadow ministerial positions. For most of the 1990s she also served on the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons.<ref name="hackneycitizen.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2010/04/25/diane-abbott-labour-parliamentary-candidate-for-hackney-north/ |title=Diane Abbott: Labour parliamentary candidate for Hackney North |publisher=''Hackney Citizen'' |date=25 April 2010 |accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref> She went on to serve on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.<ref name="hackneycitizen.co.uk"/>

Abbott chairs the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Group.<ref name="hackneycitizen.co.uk"/>

Abbott is founder of the London Schools and the Black Child initiative, which aims to raise educational achievement levels amongst black children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackeducation.info/ |title=London Schools and the Black Child (LSBC) |publisher=Blackeducation.info |date= |accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref>

In May 2010, she was re-elected in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, with a doubled majority on an increased turn-out.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myhackney.co.uk/news/diane-abbott-wins-hackney-north-and-stoke-newington-with-massive-majority |archive-url=https://archive.is/20120903193728/http://www.myhackney.co.uk/news/diane-abbott-wins-hackney-north-and-stoke-newington-with-massive-majority |dead-url=yes |archive-date=3 September 2012 |title=Diane Abbott wins Hackney North and Stoke Newington with massive majority |publisher=Myhackney.co.uk |date=7 May 2010 |accessdate=5 January 2012 }}</ref> She was again re-elected in 2015 with 62% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|title = Ms Diane Abbott MP|url = http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/ms-diane-abbott/172|website = UK Parliament|accessdate =6 June 2015}}</ref>

At [[Goldsmiths, University of London]], on 26 October 2012, a jubilee celebration was held to honour Abbott's 25 years in parliament, with a series of contributions by [[Linton Kwesi Johnson]], [[Kadija Sesay]], Tunday Akintan and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=5847|title= A Jubilee of a Different Kind: Celebrating Diane Abbott’s 25 years as an MP|publisher=Goldsmiths|date=26 October 2012|accessdate=25 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://jubileeofadifferentkind.wordpress.com/|title= A Jubilee of a Different Kind|publisher= jubileeofadifferentkind.wordpress.com |date=26 October 2012|accessdate=25 October 2013 }}</ref>

===2010 leadership election and frontbench role===
{{Main|Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010}}

On 20 May 2010, Abbott announced her intention to stand in the Labour leadership contest. She secured the necessary 33 nominations by 9 June, assisted by the withdrawal of left-wing candidate [[John McDonnell]] and support from [[David Miliband]] and [[Jack Straw]], among others.<ref name="NextRound">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10275365.stm|title=Diane Abbott goes through to next Labour leader round|date=9 June 2010|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=9 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/jun/09/labour-diane-abbott-leadership-race | location=London |work=The Guardian |first=Allegra | last=Stratton |title=David Miliband keeps Diane Abbott in Labour leadership race |date=9 June 2010}}</ref> On Saturday 25 September 2010, [[Ed Miliband]] was announced as the new leader of the Labour Party with Abbott eliminated in the first round of voting after securing 7.24% of votes.<ref name="Kite">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/8025457/Labour-Voting-system-conjures-up-a-gripping-finish.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Melissa |last=Kite |title=Labour: Voting system conjures up a gripping finish | date=26 September 2010}}</ref>

Abbott was later appointed Shadow Minister for Public Health by Ed Miliband, taking shadow responsibility for a range of issues including children's health, maternity services, sexual health, tobacco, nursing, obesity and alcohol abuse.<ref>[http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/diane_abbott_appointed_shadow_junior_minister_for_public_health_1_677140 "Diane Abbott appointed Shadow Junior Minister for Public Health"], ''Hackney Gazette'', 11 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.</ref>

On the issue of [[abortion]], Abbott has become a vocal ‘pro-choice’ supporter, opposing moves towards changing abortion counselling policy, and reducing the abortion time limit. Abbott resigned from a cross-party group on abortion counselling saying it was no more than a front to push forward an anti-abortion agenda without debate in parliament.<ref>Sarah Boseley, [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/jan/26/diane-abbott-resigns-abortion-counselling-group "Diane Abbott resigns from abortion counselling working group"], ''The Guardian'', 26 January 2012.</ref>

Following her move onto the front-bench, the ''Telegraph'' said on 27 September 2011 that Abbott had "become one of Labour’s best front bench performers".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/8787643/The-Top-100-Most-Influential-People-on-the-Left-2011-25-51.html | location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |title=The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Left 2011: 25–51 |date=27 September 2011}}</ref>

===Removal from the front bench and 2015 London mayoral election===
{{Main|London Labour Party mayoral selection, 2015}}
On 8 October 2013, Abbott was sacked as shadow public health minister in a reshuffle by Labour leader [[Ed Miliband]],<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24443444 "Diane Abbott axed as shadow health minister by Ed Miliband"], BBC News, 8 October 2013.</ref> and replaced as Shadow Public Health Minister by [[Luciana Berger]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Reshuffle Day 2 Rolling Live Blog|url=http://order-order.com/2013/10/08/pps-rolling-live-blog/|publisher=Guido Fawkes Blog|accessdate=8 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Grice|first=Andrew|title=Diane Abbott attacks Labour's stance on immigration|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-attacks-labours-stance-on-immigration-8867407.html|work=The Independent|accessdate=9 October 2013|location=London|date=8 October 2013}}</ref>

On 5 February 2013, following the Second Reading, Abbott voted in favour of the [[Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013|Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130205/debtext/130205-0004.htm | title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 05 Feb 2013| publisher=Parliament.uk|date=5 February 2013|accessdate=2 May 2013}}</ref>

On 23 June 2014, Abbott had stated she would consider standing in the [[London mayoral election, 2016]], as Mayor of London.<ref name="standard-20140623">{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/diane-abbott-is-labour-supporters-top-choice-to-run-for-london-mayor-poll-reveals-9556192.html |title='Diane Abbott is Labour supporters' top choice to run for London Mayor,' new poll reveals |author=Nicholas Cecil |newspaper=Evening Standard |date=23 June 2014 |accessdate=23 June 2014}}</ref> On 30 November 2014, Abbott announced her intention to put herself forward to become Labour's candidate at the London mayoral elections in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30268496|title=Diane Abbott planning to run for Mayor of London|publisher=BBC News|date=30 November 2014}}</ref> She was unsuccessful in her bid for [[London Labour Party mayoral selection, 2015|Labour's 2015 London mayoral election nomination]].

She was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to [[Ed Miliband]] in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Eaton|first1=George|title=The Labour left demand a change of direction – why their intervention matters|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/01/labour-left-demand-change-direction-why-their-intervention-matters|accessdate=5 April 2015|work=New Statesman|date=26 January 2015}}</ref>

===Return to the front bench===
An ally of [[Jeremy Corbyn]], Abbott was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate him as a candidate in the [[Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2015|Labour leadership election of 2015]].<ref>[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/06/who-nominated-who-2015-labour-leadership-election "Who nominated who for the 2015 Labour leadership election?"] ''New Statesman'', 15 June 2015.</ref> Following Corbyn's election as Labour leader, Abbott was appointed to the post of [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/story/1552024/shadow-cabinet-whos-in-and-whos-out|title=Shadow Cabinet: Who's In And Who's Out?|work=Sky News|date=14 September 2015 |accessdate=14 September 2015}}</ref>

On 27 June 2016, after the resignations of many of Labour's ministerial team including [[Heidi Alexander]] in the aftermath of [[Brexit]], Abbott was promoted to the position of [[Shadow Health Secretary]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/27/labour-resignations-continue-as-mps-try-to-force-out-jeremy-corbyn |title=Jeremy Corbyn unveils new shadow cabinet after raft of resignations |authors=Jamie Grierson and Anushka Asthana |date=27 June 2016 |work=The Guardian }}</ref>

On 6 October 2016, after the resignation of [[Andy Burnham]], Abbott was appointed [[Shadow Home Secretary]]. She was sworn of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] on 15 February 2017.<ref>[https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02-15-List-of-Business-Part-1.pdf Orders approved at the Privy Council held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 15th February 2017]</ref>

===2017 general election===
During the [[United Kingdom general election, 2017|2017 general election]] campaign on 2 May 2017, Labour’s pledge to recruit an extra 10,000 police officers was overshadowed by Abbott's inability to give accurate funding figures. In an interview on [[LBC]] Radio with [[Nick Ferrari]], she repeatedly struggled to explain how the promise would be funded. In the interview, Abbott frequently paused, shuffled her papers and gave out the wrong figures. When asked about her performance, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, insisted he was not embarrassed by what many pundits called a "car crash" interview.<ref>{{cite news|last=Abbott|first=Diane|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39775693|title=Diane Abbott says she 'misspoke' on Labour's police policy|publisher=BBC News|date=2 May 2017|accessdate=2 May 2017}}</ref>

In a further interview conducted by [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] on 5 May 2017, as the [[United Kingdom local elections, 2017|2017 local elections]] results were being announced, Abbott was again unable to give accurate figures on the Labour party's performance suggesting that the party had a net loss of 50 seats. However, her figure was corrected by the interviewer who stated that Labour had in fact lost 125 seats, at which point Abbott said that the last figures she had seen were a net loss of around 100.<ref>{{cite news|last=Maidment|first=Jack|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/05/diane-abbott-suffers-another-disastrous-interview-massively/|title=Diane Abbott Labour Count Error|publisher=Daily Telegraph|date=5 May 2017|accessdate=6 May 2017}}</ref>

Appearing on [[Andrew Marr]]'s Sunday morning programme for the BBC on 28 May, Abbott's apparent support for the [[#IRA|IRA]] nearly 35 years ago came up, along with some parliamentary votes Marr thought questionable. These included her advocacy of the abolition of "conspiratorial groups" such as [[MI5]] and [[SO12|Special Branch]] in the late 1980s, both of which she said had been successfully reformed. She defended a vote opposing the proscription of a list of groups, including [[Al-Qaeda|al-Qaida]], on the basis that some of the others had the status of dissidents in their country of origin and Abbott would have voted to ban al-Qaida in isolation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Syal|first=Rajeev|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/28/diane-abbott-under-fire--afro-remark-questioned-about-ira|title=Diane Abbott compares IRA views to changing hairstyles|work=The Guardian|date=28 May 2017|accessdate=28 May 2017}}</ref> According to Sam Coates in ''[[The Times]]'', this appearance was arranged without the consent of Labour's campaign team.<ref name="Coates030617">{{cite news|last=Coates|first=Sam|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/labour-frontbench-fury-as-diane-abbott-goes-rogue-s0cjmsshl|title=Labour frontbench fury as Diane Abbott goes rogue|work=The Times|date=3 June 2017|accessdate=6 June 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

On 5 June 2017, during a [[Sky News]] interview, Abbott was unable to answer questions about the Harris report on how to protect London from terror attacks. She insisted that she had read the report, but was unable to recall any of the 127 recommendations. When asked if she could remember the specific recommendations, Abbott said "I think it was an important review and we should act on it".<ref>{{cite news|first=Sophie |last=Jamieson |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/06/diane-abbott-flounders-details-anti-terror-report-another-awkward/ |title=Diane Abbott suffers yet another car crash interview, as she flounders on details of anti-terror report |publisher=Telegraph Media Group |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=6 June 2017 |accessdate=18 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Henry |last=Austin |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-general-election-latest-car-crash-interview-dermot-murnaghan-lord-harris-terror-report-a7774626.html |title=Diane Abbott struggles with questions on recent London terror report in latest bungled interview |publisher=Independent Print Limited |newspaper=The Independent |date=6 June 2017 |accessdate=18 June 2017}}</ref> Abbott also denied reports Corbyn and shadow chancellor [[John McDonnell]] were attempting to stop her from making broadcasts.<ref name="Coates030617"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Watts|first=Joe|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-womans-hour-election-debate-radio-4-amber-rudd-sky-news-interview-labour-shadow-home-a7774906.html|title=Diane Abbott pulls out of Woman's Hour election debate with Amber Rudd after another bungled interview|work=The Independent|date=6 June 2017|accessdate=6 June 2017}}</ref> The next day, Abbott withdrew citing illness at the last minute from a joint interview on ''[[Woman's Hour]]'' on 6 June with her Conservative frontbench opposite number [[Amber Rudd]] also participating.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stewart|first=Heather|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/06/diane-abbott-pulls-out-of-womans-hour-debate-due-to-illness|title=Diane Abbott pulls out of Woman's Hour debate due to illness|work=The Guardian|date=6 June 2017|accessdate=6 June 2017}}</ref>

On 7 June, Corbyn announced that Abbott was "not well" and had stepped aside in her role as Shadow Home Secretary. [[Lyn Brown (politician)|Lyn Brown]] was temporarily assigned to replace her.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/07/diane-abbott-to-step-aside-for-the-period-of-her-ill-health-corbyn-says|title=Diane Abbott to step aside 'for the period of her ill health', Corbyn says|work=The Guardian|date=7 June 2017|accessdate=7 June 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> [[Barry Gardiner]] said in radio interview on [[LBC]] that Abbott had been diagnosed with having a "long-term" medical condition and was "coming to terms with that".<ref>{{cite news|last=Walker|first=Peter|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/07/diane-abbott-to-step-aside-for-the-period-of-her-ill-health-corbyn-says|title=Diane Abbott to step aside 'for the period of her ill health', says Corbyn|work=The Guardian|date=6 June 2017|accessdate=7 June 2017}}</ref>

In spite of these controversies, Abbott was [[Hackney North and Stoke Newington (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 2010s|re-elected in her seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington]], receiving 75% of the constituency's votes with an increased majority of over 35,000.<ref>{{cite news|last=Horton|first=Helena|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/09/vindicated-diane-abbott-celebrates-wins-biggest-ever-majority/|title='Vindicated' Diane Abbott celebrates as she wins biggest ever majority|work=The Telegraph|date=9 June 2017|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref> The following week it became known that Abbott had been diagnosed as suffering from [[Diabetes mellitus type 2|type 2 diabetes]] in 2015.<ref name="Asthana">{{cite news|last1=Asthana|first1=Anushka|last2=Stewart|first2=Heather|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/13/diane-abbott-reveals-illness-and-hits-out-at-vicious-tory-campaign|title=Diane Abbott reveals illness and hits out at 'vicious' Tory campaign|work=The Guardian|date=13 June 2017|accessdate=13 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40268505|title=Diane Abbott reveals she has type 2 diabetes|publisher=BBC News|date=13 June 2017|accessdate=14 June 2017}}</ref> "During the election campaign, everything went crazy – and the diabetes was out of control, the blood sugar was out of control", she told ''The Guardian''. Dealing with six or seven interviews in a row became problematic because she was not eating enough food which forced a break upon her. The condition is back under control.<ref name="Asthana"/> Abbott returned to the role of Shadow Home Secretary on 18 June.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40319561 |title=Diane Abbott back in shadow cabinet after diabetes struggle |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=18 June 2017 |accessdate=18 June 2017}}</ref>

==Media work==
Until her appointment as a shadow minister in October 2010, Abbott appeared alongside former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician and media personality [[Michael Portillo]] on the [[BBC|BBC's]] weekly politics digest ''[[This Week (BBC One TV series)|This Week]]''. Abbott and Portillo have known each other since school, when they appeared in joint school productions of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' (although not in the title roles), and of ''[[Macbeth]]'' as [[Lady Macduff]] and [[Macduff (thane)|Macduff]] respectively.<ref>{{cite episode |title=''Have I Got News For You'' with Jimmy Savile and Diane Abbott |series=Have I Got News For You | serieslink=Have I Got News For You |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Two|BBC 2]] |airdate=1999-05-28}}</ref>

In August 2012 the BBC Trust ruled that payments to Abbott for her appearances on ''This Week'' were made in breach of BBC guidelines that banned payments to MPs who were representing their political parties. For her part, Abbott had correctly declared the payments in the Parliamentary Register of Members' Interests. The Trust also said that Abbott had appeared on the show too often.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19423658 | work=BBC News | title=BBC payments to MP Diane Abbott 'breached guidelines' | date=30 August 2012}}</ref>

Abbott is a frequent public speaker,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dianeabbott.org.uk/about.aspx |title=About Diane |publisher=Dianeabbott.org.uk |date= |accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref> newspaper contributor<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/dianeabbott+commentisfree/commentisfree |location=London |work=The Guardian |first=Diane | last=Abbott | title=Diane Abbott – Comment is free}}</ref> and TV performer, appearing on programmes such as ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06h8xzq|title=Episode 2, Series 50, Have I Got News for You - BBC One|publisher=}}</ref> ''Celebrity [[Come Dine with Me]]''<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/diary/diary-dianes-appetite-for-losing-2182237.html | location=London | work=The Independent |title=Diary: Diane's appetite for losing |date=12 January 2011}}</ref> and ''[[Cash in the Celebrity Attic]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xj8p3 |title=Two Programmes – Cash in the Celebrity Attic, Series 6, Diane Abbott |publisher=BBC |date=13 January 2011 |accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref>

Abbott was shortlisted for the [[Grassroot Diplomat]] Initiative Award in 2015 for her work on London Schools and the Black Child, and remains in the directory of the ''Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who'' publication.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who |url=http://www.grassrootdiplomat.org/whoswho/ |accessdate=27 April 2015 |work=Grassroot Diplomat |date=15 March 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520125406/http://www.grassrootdiplomat.org/whoswho/ |archivedate=20 May 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref>

==Political positions==

Abbott has a record of differing from some party policies, voting against the [[Iraq war]],<ref name="tcs.cam.ac.uk" /> opposing [[ID cards]] and campaigning against the [[British replacement of the Trident system|renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear weapons]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/7833158/Diane-Abbott-Its-very-lonely-being-a-single-mother.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Mary | last=Riddell | title=Diane Abbott: 'It's very lonely being a single mother' | date=16 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10276583 | publisher=BBC News | title=Profile: Diane Abbott | date=9 June 2010}}</ref>

=== Abortion rights ===
Diane Abbott supported a number of [[Pro choice|pro-choice]] amendments to the [[Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008|Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill]] (now Act).<ref name="Galbraith">{{cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2009/03/harriet-harman-shouldnt-be-blogging-on-international-womens-day-shes-suppressed-womens-rights-for-12-years/|title=Harriet Harman shouldn't be blogging on International Women's Day – she's suppressed women's rights for 12 years|last=Galbraith|first=Rebecca|date=9 March 2009|publisher=[[LabourList]]|accessdate=16 March 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/oct/21/health-health1|title=Harman to block Commons votes on liberalising abortion laws|last=Watt|first=Nicholas|date=20 October 2008|newspaper=The Guardian|accessdate=16 March 2018}}</ref> (along with [[Katy Clark]] MP and [[John McDonnell]] MP<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7520856.stm|title=MPs pushing abortion rights in NI|date=23 July 2008|accessdate=16 March 2018}}</ref>) - including leading on NC30 Amendment of the Abortion Act 1967: Application to Northern Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/120/amend/pbc1202210m.3272-3278.html|title=House of Commons Amendments|last=Commons|first=Table Office, House of|website=publications.parliament.uk|accessdate=16 March 2018}}</ref> Writing for [[The Guardian]], Dianne argued that<blockquote>"When it comes to the right to choose, women in Northern Ireland are second-class citizens. They are denied the NHS treatment and funding for abortion that is permitted to every other woman in the United Kingdom."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jul/23/northernireland.law|title=Diane Abbott: A right to choose? Not in Northern Ireland|last=Abbott|first=Diane|date=2008-07-23|work=the Guardian|access-date=2018-05-27}}</ref></blockquote>It was reported that the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] Government at the time (in particular [[Harriet Harman]] <ref name="Galbraith" /><ref name=":0" />) asked MPs not to table these pro-choice amendments (and at least until [[Third reading|Third Reading]]) and then allegedly used parliamentary mechanisms in order to prevent a vote accordingly.<ref name="Galbraith" /> Speaking in the debate in Parliament, [[Diane Abbott]] criticised these "manoeuvres":<blockquote>"I speak against the programme motion because—and I say this with no pleasure—it and the order of discussion appear to be a shabby manoeuvre by Ministers to stop the full debate of some very important matters. I appreciate that Ministers did not intend this to be a Bill about abortion. I am open to the argument that we should have another piece of legislation that would enable a full debate on most of the matters in relation to abortion that have been raised as amendments and new clauses to the Bill, but there is a special case for debating and voting on the particular new clause that I tabled to extend the 1967 Act to Northern Ireland."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm081022/debtext/81022-0007.htm|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Oct 2008 (pt 0007)|last=Westminster|first=Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons,|website=publications.parliament.uk|access-date=2018-05-27}}</ref></blockquote>In 2017, the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] (under [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s leadership) released a statement that it was historically committed to ensuring "a woman’s right to choose a safe, legal abortion", stating an intention to work with the Assembly to extend that right to women in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://labour.org.uk/manifesto/|title=Manifesto - The Labour Party|work=The Labour Party|access-date=2018-05-27|language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Saudi Arabia===
Abbott criticised [[David Cameron]]'s government for its continued support for [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen]]. In March 2016, Abbott wrote: "over the past year alone, Britain has sold around £6bn worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, whose campaign in Yemen is targeting civilians – 191 such attacks have collectively been reported by the UN, HRW and Amnesty."<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/25/british-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-immoral-illegal-yemen|title=British arms sales to Saudi Arabia are immoral and illegal |date=25 March 2016 |website=The Guardian }}</ref>

===2016 EU membership referendum===
Abbott campaigned and supported the Labour Party's official preference for the remain campaign in the [[United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Abbott|first=Diane|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/24/brexit-dispossessed-jeremy-corbyn-diane-abbott-new-left|title=The dispossessed voted for Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn offers real change|work=The Guardian|date=24 June 2018|accessdate=27 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946|title=EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand|work=BBC News|date=22 June 2016|accessdate=27 April 2018}}</ref>

However, in January 2017, Abbott stated that Labour could oppose the bill to trigger Article 50 if Labour's amendments are rejected.<ref>{{cite news|last=Merrick|first=Rob|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-oppose-brexit-bill-article-50-legislation-amendments-thrown-out-diane-abbot-shadow-home-a7548731.html|title=Labour may oppose Article 50 Bill if amendments rejected, Diane Abbott says| work=The Independent | location=London |date=27 January 2017}}</ref> She abstained from voting on the second reading of the Brexit Bill, after becoming ill hours before the vote,<ref>{{cite web|last=Hughes|first=Laura|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/02/diane-abbott-fails-vote-brexit-bill-debate-going-home-migraine/|title=Diane Abbott fails to vote in Brexit Bill debate after going home with a migraine|date=1 February 2017|access-date=2 February 2017}}</ref> and later voted in favour at the third and final reading.

==Political controversies==
{{Undue weight|section|to=comments and criticisms presented without explanation|date=April 2018}}
===Education of Abbott's son===

Abbott's decision in 2003 to send her son to the private [[City of London School]] after criticising colleagues for sending their children to selective schools, which she herself described as "indefensible" and "intellectually incoherent", caused controversy and criticism.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1445761/Abbott-told-ex-husband-to-be-quiet-over-school.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=Abbott 'told ex-husband to be quiet over school' | first=Becky | last=Barrow | date=3 November 2003 | accessdate=27 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3229453.stm | title=Abbott speaks out on school row | date=31 October 2003 | accessdate=1 November 2006 | publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8687 | title=Education: Dear Diane Abbott... |authorlink=Michael Rosen|first=Michael |last=Rosen |date=December 2003 |work=[[Socialist Review]] |accessdate=1 November 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Education: Dear Michael Rosen... |url=http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8810 | author=Diane Abbott | work=Socialist Review |date=March 2004 |accessdate=1 November 2006}}</ref>

Her son contacted a radio phone-in to say that his mother was following his own wishes: "She's not a hypocrite, she just put what I wanted first instead of what people thought," he told [[LBC]]. He added that he had wanted to go private rather than attend a local state school in Abbott's Hackney constituency.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/abbot-admits-decision-indefensible-6959753.html |authors=Tariq Tahir and Ben Leapman|title=Abbot admits decision 'indefensible'|work=Evening Standard |date=31 October 2003 |accessdate=20 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3222089.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Abbott's son defends going private |date=28 October 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lightfoot |first=Liz |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1445343/Public-school-son-of-Labour-MP-denies-hypocrisy.html |title=Public school son of Labour MP denies 'hypocrisy' |work=The Telegraph |date=29 October 2003 |accessdate=5 January 2012 |location=London}}</ref>

===Register of Members' Interests===


Abbott has served on a number of parliamentary committees on social and international issues and held shadow ministerial positions. For most of the 1990s she also served on the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons. She went on to serve on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
In 2004, following a complaint made by Conservative MP [[Andrew Rosindell]], Abbott was investigated by the [[Committee on Standards and Privileges]] regarding payments she had received from the BBC. The committee found that she had failed to declare earnings of £17,300 in the Register of Members' Interests she had received for appearances on the television programme ''This Week''. The Committee upheld the complaint and required Abbott to apologise to the House.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmstnprv/285/285.pdf |title=House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges – Conduct of Ms Diane Abbott Second Report of Session 2003–04 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=20 May 2010}}</ref>


Abbott chairs the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Group.
===Comments on race===


Abbott is founder of the London Schools and the Black Child initiative, which aims to raise educational achievement levels amongst black children.
In a 1984 interview with the journal of the Labour Committee on Ireland (LCI), when asked if she saw herself as Black British, Abbott replied "No - I would self-define myself just as Black. Though I was born here in London, I couldn't identify as British and anyway most British people don't accept us as British. God! British people can be so racist".<ref name="Gilligan">{{cite web|last=Gilligan|first=Andrew|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/election-2017/abbott-declared-support-for-ira-defeat-of-britain-rp79dvvmk|title=Abbott declared support for IRA defeat of Britain|work=The Sunday Times|date=21 May 2017|accessdate=21 May 2017}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="Gilliganblog">{{cite blog|url=https://andrewgilliganblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/21/diane-abbott-backed-victory-for-the-ira-see-the-document/|last=Gilligan|first=Andrew|title=Diane Abbott backed victory for the IRA|publisher=andrewgilliganblog|date=21 May 2017|accessdate=21 May 2017}}</ref>


In May 2010, she was re-elected in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, with a doubled majority on an increased turn-out. She was again re-elected in 2015 with 62% of the vote.
In 1988, Abbott claimed at a black studies conference in [[Philadelphia]] that "the British invented racism."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sEsqAQAAMAAJ&q=1988+Abbott+Diane+british+invented+racism&dq=1988+Abbott+Diane+british+invented+racism|page=97|title=No Such Thing As Society| isbn=9781849010092|author1=McSmith|first1=Andy|date=19 November 2010}}</ref>


On 20 May 2010, Abbott announced her intention to stand in the Labour leadership contest. She secured the necessary 33 nominations by 9 June, assisted by the withdrawal of left-wing candidate John McDonnell and support from David Miliband and Jack Straw, among others. On Saturday 25 September 2010, Ed Miliband was announced as the new leader of the Labour Party with Abbott eliminated in the first round of voting after securing 7.24% of votes.
In 1996, Abbott was criticised after she claimed that at her local hospital "blonde, blue-eyed Finnish girls" were unsuitable as nurses because they had "never met a black person before".<ref>{{cite news|first=Lucy|last= Ward|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/mar/16/lucyward.guardianprofiles|title=The Guardian Profile: Diane Abbott|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=16 March 1999|location=London}}</ref> In response [[Marc Wadsworth]], executive member of the Anti-Racist Alliance, who is half-Finnish, pointed out that the then-current [[Miss Finland]], [[Lola Odusoga]], is black, of [[Nigerian]] and [[Finns|Finnish]] descent. "She's a black Finn like me," he said. Abbott's position was supported by fellow Labour MP [[Bernie Grant]]: "Bringing someone here from Finland who has never seen a black person before and expecting them to have some empathy with black people is nonsense. Scandinavian people don't know black people—they probably don't know how to take their temperature".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110807210338/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/diane-abbott-is-sorry-for-the-record-miss-finland-is-also-black-1354725.html Diane Abbott is sorry (For the record Miss Finland is also black)] John Rentoul, Political Correspondent, The Independent, (Internet Archive), 29 November 1996</ref><ref>[http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/7th-december-1996/18/diane-abbott-finland-responds "Diane Abbott: Finland Responds"], ''The Spectator'' (archive), 7 December 1996, p. 18.</ref>


Abbott was later appointed Shadow Minister for Public Health by Ed Miliband, taking shadow responsibility for a range of issues including children's health, maternity services, sexual health, tobacco, nursing, obesity and alcohol abuse.
On 4 January 2012, Abbott [[twitter|tweeted]] that: "White people love playing 'divide and rule' We should not play their game", which again led to widespread criticism including accusations of racism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ridge|first=Sophy|title=MP Apologises After Tweet Sparks Race Row|url=http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16142830|publisher=Sky News|accessdate=5 January 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://news.sky.com/story/915384/mp-apologises-after-tweet-sparks-race-row |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2015-11-29 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208134410/http://news.sky.com/story/915384/mp-apologises-after-tweet-sparks-race-row |archivedate=8 December 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Only after being told by the Labour Party leadership that the comment was unacceptable did she apologise for "any offence caused", claiming that she had not intended to "make generalisations about white people".<ref name=BBCApology>{{cite news|title=MP Diane Abbott 'sorry' over Twitter race comments|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16423278|accessdate=5 January 2011|publisher=BBC News|date=5 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/8996425/Diane-Abbott-forced-to-apologise-in-racism-row-after-claiming-White-people-love-playing-divide-and-rule.html|title=Diane Abbott forced to apologise in racism row after claiming 'White people love playing divide and rule’|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Tim|last=Ross|author2=Holehouse, Matthew|date=5 January 2012}}</ref> The Deputy Prime Minister [[Nick Clegg]] called her comments a "stupid and crass generalisation". [[Nadhim Zahawi]], Conservative MP, said: "This is racism. If this was a white member of Parliament saying that all black people want to do bad things to us he would have resigned within the hour or been sacked."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16423278 |title=MP Diane Abbott 'sorry' over Twitter race comments |publisher=BBC News |date=5 January 2012 |accessdate=12 January 2012}}</ref> Members of the public lodged complaints but the [[Metropolitan Police]] stated that no investigation would be launched and no charges would be brought against her, saying she "did not commit a criminal offence."<ref>{{cite news|first=Donna|last= Bowater |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9001757/Diane-Abbott-will-not-face-police-action-over-racist-tweet.html |title=Diane Abbott will not face police action over 'racist' tweet|work=The Daily Telegraph|date= 9 January 2012|location=London}}</ref>


Template:Main On 8 October 2013, Abbott was sacked as shadow public health minister in a reshuffle by Labour leader Ed Miliband, and replaced as Shadow Public Health Minister by [[Luciana Berger]].
In January 2012 Abbott suggested that taxi drivers discriminate on racial grounds, tweeting that she was "Dubious of black people claiming they’ve never experienced racism. Ever tried hailing a taxi I always wonder?"<ref>{{cite news|last=Ross |first=Tim |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8997510/Diane-Abbott-taxi-drivers-refuse-to-pick-up-black-passengers.html |title=Diane Abbott: taxi drivers refuse to pick up black passengers |work=The Telegraph|date= 6 January 2012|accessdate=7 January 2012 |location=London}}</ref>


On 5 February 2013, following the Second Reading, Abbott voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.
In a ''Guardian'' article in February 2017, Abbott wrote about receiving racist and sexist abuse online every day.<ref>{{cite news|last=Abbott|first=Diane|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/14/racism-misogyny-politics-online-abuse-minorities|title=I fought racism and misogyny to become an MP. The fight is getting harder|work=The Guardian|date=14 February 2017|accessdate=14 February 2017}}</ref> A few days later, in an interview with [[Sophy Ridge]] on [[Sky News]], Abbott proposed a parliamentary inquiry into the sexist and racist abuse of MPs in social media and the way [[Twitter]] and [[Facebook]] investigate cases which arise.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mason|first=Rowena|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/19/diane-abbott-on-abuse-of-mps-staff-try-not-to-let-me-walk-around-alone|title=Diane Abbott on abuse of MPs: 'My staff try not to let me go out alone'|work=The Guardian|date=19 February 2017|accessdate=19 February 2017}}</ref>


On 23 June 2014, Abbott had stated she would consider standing in the London mayoral election, 2016, as Mayor of London. On 30 November 2014, Abbott announced her intention to put herself forward to become Labour's candidate at the London mayoral elections in 2016. She was unsuccessful in her bid for Labour's 2015 London mayoral election nomination.
===IRA===
''[[The Sunday Times]]'' in May 2017 reported that Abbott backed the [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] in a 1984 interview with ''Labour and Ireland'', a pro-republican journal.<ref name="Gilligan"/><ref>''Labour and Ireland'', Vol 2, issue 5 (1984) {{page needed|date=May 2017}}</ref> In the 1984 interview, Abbott criticised the Unionist population of Northern Ireland as an “enclave of white supremacist ideology comparable to white settlers in Zimbabwe" and called for their views to be ignored on the question of Unification adding "Ireland is our struggle — every defeat of the British state is a victory for all of us. A defeat in Northern Ireland would be a defeat indeed".<ref name="Gilligan"/><ref name="Gilliganblog"/>


An ally of [[Jeremy Corbyn]], Abbott was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate him as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015. Following Corbyn's election as Labour leader, Abbott was appointed to the post of Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.
In May 2017, while Shadow Home Secretary, she was asked several times by Andrew Marr if she regretted her comments on the IRA. Abbott replied that some of her views had changed, like her hairstyle. She told Marr: "It was 34 years ago and I've moved on".<ref>{{cite news|last=Osborne|first=Samuel|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-ira-regret-jeremy-corbyn-defeat-british-state-a7759926.html|title=Diane Abbott refuses to say she 'regrets' calling for IRA to defeat British state|work=The Independent|date=28 May 2017|accessdate=28 May 2017}}</ref>


On 27 June 2016, Abbott was promoted to the position of Shadow Health Secretary.
===Charging fees for speeches to students===
In 2017, Abbott was criticised after it emerged that in 2011, she charged the University of Birmingham £1,750 for a 50-minute speech. An online petition called on Abbott to repay the money to be used for educational purposes.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jon Griffin |url=http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/diane-abbott-charges-1750-speaking-5774227 |title=Diane Abbott charges £1,750 for speaking to students |website=Birmingham Post |date=22 August 2013 |accessdate=19 August 2017}}</ref>


On 6 October 2016, after the resignation of Andy Burnham, Abbott was appointed Shadow Home Secretary. She was sworn of the Privy Council on 15 February 2017.
===Comments about Mao Zedong===


On 7 June, Corbyn announced that Abbott was "not well" and had stepped aside in her role as Shadow Home Secretary. Lyn Brown was temporarily assigned to replace her. Barry Gardiner said in radio interview on LBC that Abbott had been diagnosed with having a "long-term" medical condition and was "coming to terms with that".
In 2008, during a BBC One ''[[This Week (BBC TV series)|This Week]]'' interview between Abbott, [[Michael Portillo]] and [[Andrew Neil]] about who was history's worst dictator, Abbott said about the Chinese dictator [[Mao Zedong]]: "I suppose some people will judge that on balance Mao did more good than harm... He led his country from feudalism, he helped to defeat the Japanese and he left his country on the verge of the great economic success they are having now." She finished by saying: "I was just putting the case for Mao."<ref>{{cite web|title=Diane Abbott Once Argued That 'On Balance Mao Did More Good Than Harm'|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/11/27/diane-abbott-said-on-balance-mao-did-more-good-than-harm_n_8660910.html|year=2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/after-the-little-red-book-was-flourished-in-parliament-should-mao-be-rehabilitated-a6753536.html |title=After the little red book was flourished in Parliament, should Mao be rehabilitated?}}</ref>
Abbott was re-elected in her seat of [[Hackney North and Stoke Newington]] at the 2017 general election, receiving 75% of the constituency's votes with an increased majority of over 35,000.

Latest revision as of 15:20, 14 July 2018



The Right Honourable
Diane Abbott
MP
Shadow Home Secretary
Assumed office
6 October 2016
Leader Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by Andy Burnham
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Preceded by Heidi Alexander
Succeeded by Jonathan Ashworth
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
Leader Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by Mary Creagh
Succeeded by Kate Osamor
Member of Parliament
for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Assumed office
11 June 1987
Majority 35,139 (62.4%)
Personal details
Born Diane Julie Abbott
(1953-09-27) 27 September 1953 (age 70)
Website Official website


Diane Julie Abbott (born 27 September 1953) was appointed Shadow Home Secretary in October 2016. She was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney North and Stoke Newington at the 1987 general election, when she became the first black woman to hold a seat in the House of Commons.

Political career

Abbott's career in politics began in 1982 when she was elected to Westminster City Council, serving until 1986. In 1983 she was active in the Black Sections movement, alongside Bernie Grant, Paul Boateng and Keith Vaz, campaigning for greater ethnic minority political representation. In 1985 she unsuccessfully fought to be selected in Brent East, losing out to Ken Livingstone. In 1987 she was elected to the House of Commons, replacing the deselected serving Labour MP Ernie Roberts as MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. Abbott was the first black woman to become an MP, elected in the same year as Keith Vaz, Bernie Grant and Paul Boateng.

Abbott has served on a number of parliamentary committees on social and international issues and held shadow ministerial positions. For most of the 1990s she also served on the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons. She went on to serve on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

Abbott chairs the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Group.

Abbott is founder of the London Schools and the Black Child initiative, which aims to raise educational achievement levels amongst black children.

In May 2010, she was re-elected in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, with a doubled majority on an increased turn-out. She was again re-elected in 2015 with 62% of the vote.

On 20 May 2010, Abbott announced her intention to stand in the Labour leadership contest. She secured the necessary 33 nominations by 9 June, assisted by the withdrawal of left-wing candidate John McDonnell and support from David Miliband and Jack Straw, among others. On Saturday 25 September 2010, Ed Miliband was announced as the new leader of the Labour Party with Abbott eliminated in the first round of voting after securing 7.24% of votes.

Abbott was later appointed Shadow Minister for Public Health by Ed Miliband, taking shadow responsibility for a range of issues including children's health, maternity services, sexual health, tobacco, nursing, obesity and alcohol abuse.

Template:Main On 8 October 2013, Abbott was sacked as shadow public health minister in a reshuffle by Labour leader Ed Miliband, and replaced as Shadow Public Health Minister by Luciana Berger.

On 5 February 2013, following the Second Reading, Abbott voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.

On 23 June 2014, Abbott had stated she would consider standing in the London mayoral election, 2016, as Mayor of London. On 30 November 2014, Abbott announced her intention to put herself forward to become Labour's candidate at the London mayoral elections in 2016. She was unsuccessful in her bid for Labour's 2015 London mayoral election nomination.

An ally of Jeremy Corbyn, Abbott was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate him as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015. Following Corbyn's election as Labour leader, Abbott was appointed to the post of Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.

On 27 June 2016, Abbott was promoted to the position of Shadow Health Secretary.

On 6 October 2016, after the resignation of Andy Burnham, Abbott was appointed Shadow Home Secretary. She was sworn of the Privy Council on 15 February 2017.

On 7 June, Corbyn announced that Abbott was "not well" and had stepped aside in her role as Shadow Home Secretary. Lyn Brown was temporarily assigned to replace her. Barry Gardiner said in radio interview on LBC that Abbott had been diagnosed with having a "long-term" medical condition and was "coming to terms with that". Abbott was re-elected in her seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington at the 2017 general election, receiving 75% of the constituency's votes with an increased majority of over 35,000.

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