Diane Abbott accuses Labour of ‘fraudulent’ inquiry into racism comments

MP says investigation sparked by a letter to the Observer seen as arguing there is a hierarchy of racism is being run out of party HQ

Diane Abbott has accused Labour of leading a fraudulent" investigation into her comments about racism that left her suspended from the party.

Abbott, who became the UK's first black female MP in 1987, has claimed the party's whips office is no longer conducting a formal investigation. Instead, she claims the internal inquiry is now run entirely out of the Labour party HQ, which reports to Keir Starmer - and there is no investigation".