Diane Abbott hit by demands to QUIT as fury over racism comments continues to grow

Abbott also suggested Jewish people are subject to prejudice similar to what faces people with red hair.

Labour quickly condemned the UK’s first black female MP over her comments, labelling Abbott’s remarks “deeply offensive and wrong”.

A party source today went further by suggesting Southside could eventually expel the 69-year-old.

The insider told GB News: “Keir is taking strong and decisive action to maintain his pledge to root out antisemitism within the Labour Party and distance the party from the disgrace of the Corbyn years.

“Diane Abbott acted disgracefully and no excuses can reverse her decision to publish a letter that borders on Holocaust minimisation.

“I am hopeful that the Labour Party’s internal disciplinary procedures will conclude she acted in an antisemitic and racist way and she will be expelled.”

The source added: “We have already seen the hard-left organisation Momentum throw its weight behind her, which potentially sets up a larger confrontation between Starmer and the left.

“I only hope that many responsible left-wingers think with their heads before backing Diane’s racist views.”

Ex-Labour MP John Mann, who now works as Rishi Sunak’s antisemitism tsar, also told GB News: “I can’t see her standing at the next election now.”

He added: “She represents the most recognisable Jewish community, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, quite a lot of them in Stamford Hill are her constituents and have been for the 36 years she has been in Parliament.

“They face racism every day, you know, hassle on the streets, abuse. Most of it low-level but nevertheless that is very demeaning and damaging. Sometimes worse, sometimes violent attacks and that’s in her own patch.”

Other Labour MPs have also been suspended by the party following race rows in recent years, with ex-Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn being blocked from standing at the next general election after saying the Equalities and Human Rights Commission report into antisemitism was “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.

Ealing Central & Acton MP Rupa Huq, who later had the whip restored after apologising and completing anti-racism training, was suspended last September after she told an audience that the former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was only “superficially” black.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer addressed concerns about the Abbott debacle during a visit to south London this morning.

After being pressed three times, Starmer said his former Shadow Cabinet colleague’s comments were “antisemitic” as he argued Labour was “absolutely right” to respond quickly.

He added: “I said we would tear out antisemitism by its roots. I meant it, and that’s why we acted so swiftly yesterday.”

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Pat McFadden, who was sacked from Corbyn’s Shadow frontbench in 2016, described Abbott as a “pioneer” but warned against creating a “hierarchy of victimhood”.

He told GB News: “It’s completely obvious and undeniable that Jewish people, for example, throughout history have been subject to terrible racism so it doesn’t represent the world view of the Labour Party.

“I am very sad that she said it and I think that the chief whip and the party leader had no option but to take the action to suspend her that they took yesterday.”

During her letter to The Observer, Abbott wrote: “Tomiwa Owolade claims that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from 'racism'.

"They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable.

"It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism.

"In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.

"In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships."

Abbott later “wholly and unreservedly” apologised for her letter, claiming the “errors arose in an initial draft being sent”.

However, the Socialist Campaign Group member added: “There is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.”

GB News has been told that Labour MPs and officials have been warned against commenting about Abbott’s remarks to the press.

The Labour leadership will hope Sir Keir's decisive action on Abbott's letter will help hammer home his commitment to stamping out antisemitism.

Adam Drummond, head of political and social research at polling company Opinium, suggested Sir Keir could use the Abbott debacle to this strength.

He told GB News: "It's a contest between whether Starmer looks strong for suspending the whip and whether Labour looks bad because it reminds people of problems Labour had with antisemitism and also at the same time it risks reinforcing some of the problems he's had on his left flank.

"I'd say it's a score-draw on those points at the moment in that one of the best predictive poll answers for whether people are going to vote for someone is if voters think they're a 'strong leader' so anything where he looks like he's taking action is good for this.

"Rooting out antisemitism is one of the areas where you can fairly decisively say Starmer has made progress even though he's suffered from a lack of definition on other topics.

"The ECHR saying Labour was out of special measures in February being some evidence."

Drummond added: "He's basically able to take what is a fairly easy decision and use it to highlight his personal strength on one of his stronger issues."