Labour whip decision sparks tension between Diane Abbott and Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer is in trouble because of Diane Abbott's suspension. The investigation into her was finished five months ago. Sir Keir won't say if Ms Abbott, the longest-serving Black MP, can run for the party in the July 4 election. She got suspended last April for a letter she wrote. In the letter, she said Jewish people don't face the same racism as other minorities. Ms Abbott, who used to be the shadow home secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, said sorry for what she wrote. She explained that the letter was a mistake. Sir Keir promised to sort this out by June 4. A source close to Ms Abbott said she doesn't know if she can run for the Labour Party in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, where she got elected in 1987. The source thinks she won't be allowed to run because the party already decided what they want to do. They are taking a long time to stop her from being a candidate in the election. Some Labour members want Ms Abbott to be back in the party. If she doesn't get unsuspended by June 4, she will have to retire or run against her own party. Letting Ms Abbott back in would make left-wing MPs and activists happy. They think the investigation into her was not fair. A group called Momentum said Sir Keir is trying to push out Britain's first Black woman MP. They want Ms Abbott to run for Labour if she wants to. Ms Abbott thinks Sir Keir is not being honest. She thinks he has the power to decide if she can come back to the party. Some MPs are pressuring Sir Keir to let Ms Abbott back in. They think she deserves to be in the party. A petition with 15,500 signatures asks Sir Keir to restore the whip to Ms Abbott.