I want to be an MP for as long as possible, Diane Abbott tells supporters

Comments at rally in east London follow Keir Starmer's denial that the Hackney MP would be barred from standing in the election

Diane Abbott has promised to stay on as an MP for as long as it is possible", setting up a likely clash with Keir Starmer after a deal for her to retire from parliament broke down.

Abbott, the UK's first female black MP, had been set to make a dignified exit" from parliament, following a near 40-year career, in an arrangement in which she was given back the Labour whip after an investigation into comments she made about racism.