The long-serving MP & Mother of the House of Commons, Diane Abbott, has been let back into the Labour Party, following a year-long suspension.
A Labour spokesperson said Abbott apologised as part of an independent disciplinary process and will now be allowed to sit as a Labour MP again.
In a post on X, Abbott said she had been given a formal warning over a previous post in which she referred to the Israel Defense Forces as the “Jewish Defence Force”. She apologised, saying she had wrongly linked the actions of the Israeli state with the wider Jewish community and was sorry for any hurt caused.
Abbott also said she has always been against racism and remains committed to fighting it in all its forms.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was first suspended in 2023 after writing a letter to The Observer about racism. Although she returned to Labour before the 2024 General Election, she was suspended again in July 2025 after defending her earlier comments in a BBC interview and posting the message on social media. She has since been sitting as an independent MP.
Labour has also readmitted East Kilbride and Strathaven MP Joani Reid.
Reid suspended herself from the party in March after her husband, David Taylor, was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. He and two other men were later released on police bail. Reid has not been investigated by police.
After being readmitted, Reid said she was looking forward to supporting Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government. She also said she had never been involved in the police investigation, either as a suspect or a witness.
Labour said both decisions were made through an independent process and without political interference from the party leadership.
Abbott’s return has been criticised by some Jewish organisations. The Board of Deputies said it would be an early test of the government’s commitment to tackling antisemitism, while the Jewish Leadership Council questioned whether the decision was consistent with Labour’s zero-tolerance approach.
However, many Labour supporters backed Abbott’s return, with more than 38,000 people signing a petition calling for her to be readmitted.
Two Labour MPs remain suspended. Karl Turner was suspended in March over comments about colleagues, while Dan Norris remains suspended after being arrested on suspicion of sexual offences.