The Forde report, an independent inquiry into Labour’s culture that was published in July 2022, found that the party was an “unwelcoming place for people of colour” and had a “toxic” culture of factional disputes between the party’s right and left.
In March 2023, Mr Forde gave an interview to Al Jazeera in which he said that no one from Labour had been willing to discuss the recommendations further and highlighted concerns raised by ethnic minority politicians within Labour about racism in the party.
In response, it has now emerged that the Labour Party sent Mr Forde a robust legal letter, seen by The Independent, accusing him of acting against the party’s interests and advising him that it was “considering all of its options”.
Lawyers accused Mr Forde of having made “extensive negative and highly prejudicial comments” and questioned his professional conduct.
Speaking to The Independent this week, the respected barrister said: “I don’t know if it was an attempt to silence me. I mean, they’ve couched it carefully along the lines of ‘We’re reminding you of your professional duties,’ which I found mildly irritating because I am a regulatory lawyer, and I don’t like my professionalism or ethics being questioned … but I felt it was more.
He continued: “I’m a private individual; they can’t silence me. I fundamentally object to people saying to me, ‘You don’t know how to behave as a professional.’ I’m afraid that Black professionals get it all the time.”
So hang on, this is an official labour inquiry which came to the exact conclusion that Diane Abbott was suspended for a year later? It has to be deliberate at this point.
Diane Abbott was suspended for stating non black race did not suffer the same as black.
While I don’t disagree with her. Although her wording was politically incompetent.
How is it the same as this report that identified the racism but in no way compare s it to other forms of racism.
Edit: to be clear. Dispite criticism of her here. I have huge respect for Diane Abbott. And when you compare the publics response to some of her mistakes. To that of very similar or identical mistakes from white male politicarians. There is clearly a difference beyond political opinion.
Diane has been attacked on social media and real media for things that fly past when other politicarians make equally bad errors.
The truth is that while what she said was undoubtedly problematic, white male politicians from both sides of the circus have said, and more importantly done, much much worse, and have kept their jobs, and probably even got a pat on the back from the establishment.
The problem isn’t that she was suspended, it’s that others doing worse aren’t - she was 100% suspended because she is a Black woman.
Diane Abbott was suspended:
Abbott was talking about it in general whereas the report was talking about it specifically within the labour party.