Video – Abbott on Starmer: ‘Having been Mr Remain’ you ‘don’t hear much about remain now’

It appears that the Labour Party is still struggling to find unity within its ranks.

Only last week Sir Keir Starmer faced a series of resignations as he suffered a major rebellion over the so-called “spy cops” law.

The Labour leader ordered his MPs to abstain on the third reading of the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Bill.

But 34 decided to oppose the legislation, including former leader Jeremy Corbyn, ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell and former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

Margaret Greenwood tendered her resignation as shadow schools minister and Dan Carden quit his post as a shadow Treasury minister so they could vote against the Bill.

Liverpool Walton MP Mr Carden said he voted against the Bill as a “matter of conscience”, saying the legislation sets “dangerous new precedents” on the rule of law and civil liberties.

Wirral West MP Ms Greenwood echoed those sentiments, while Navendu Mishra, Labour MP for Stockport, also resigned from his role as a parliamentary aide to the party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner ahead of the vote.

Mr Mishra said he believed voting against the Bill “sends a clearer message about the strength of our concerns”.

Newsnight

Last night Diane Abbott was interviewed on Newsnight about her thoughts on Labour Leader Keir Starmer.

Speaking to Lewis Goodall she said: “You have got to remember that Keir had a project of his own, to become leader of the Labour party.

‘I blame his mother for calling him Keir and I wasn’t going to work with him to forward that project.

Goodall then asked” ‘You were suspicious of him?”

She replies: “Yes”

The presenter then asks: “Because you were aware of his ambition?”

Abbott replies: “Kier Starmer’s ambition is fairly apparent and I think it is noticeable having been Mr Remain all the way up to getting leadership of the party, you don’t hear much about remain now. I think he had other motives.

“Having said that he won the leadership fair and square and you have got to respect the mandate, but at the time when Jeremy was leader he had other motives.”