FORMER Labour leadership candidate Diane Abbott was last night fighting to save her frontbench role after she claimed that “white people love playing ‘divide & rule’.”
The controversial Hackney MP was accused of racism by Tory MPs after she became the latest politician to make a gaffe on Twitter.
The comment was made on the back of the coverage of the guilty verdicts of the two murderers of the 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence.
The comments by Ms Abbott, a friend of the Lawrence family, appeared to relate to the use of the term “black community leaders” after the trial.
Ms Abbott, the shadow public health minister, last night apologised for her comments after Labour leader Ed Miliband described her comments as unacceptable, but said they had been taken out of context.
Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, another leading black MP, said: “The contents of the tweet were clearly unacceptable and Diane has, of course, therefore unreservedly apologised for that.
“I should say that the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, has spoken to her this morning and made it very clear, in no uncertain terms, that the contents of the tweet were unacceptable and Diane agrees with that.”
He said people would not “seriously think Diane is a racist”.
“Diane has campaigned for equality, and campaigned against prejudice, over many years.”
In a statement, issued by Labour, Ms Abbott apologised for “any offence caused”.
She said: “I understand people have interpreted my comments as making generalisations about white people. I do not believe in doing that. I apologise for any offence caused.”
In an earlier interview, she made no attempt to apologise and said that her comments had been interpreted “maliciously”.
She claimed she had been referring to “19th century European colonialism”, adding: “I think the tweet was taken out of context and some people have interpreted it maliciously.”
Asked to elaborate, she broke off from the interview to take a telephone call.
But Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi called for her resignation and insisted Mr Miliband must sack her if she would not stand down.
“A healthy society should not tolerate any form of racism,” he said, adding that Ms Abbott, the first black woman to enter the Commons, “of all people should lead by example”.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was addressing a freelance journalist on Twitter yesterday when she wrote: “White people love playing ‘divide & rule’. We should not play their game #tacticasoldascolonialism.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “We disagree with Diane’s tweet. It is wrong to make sweeping generalisations about any race, creed, or culture. The Labour Party has always campaigned against such behaviour – and so has Diane Abbott.”
Ms Abbott also recevied some advice from Prime Minister David Cameron on the use of social media.
Mr Cameron – who famously said in 2009 that he did not use Twitter because too many tweets “might make a twat” – declined to comment in detail on the furore surrounding the Labour MP.
Asked about Ms Abbott during a visit to inspect construction work at Hereford’s new enterprise zone, the prime minister joked: “You know my rule about politicians and tweeting – another good example.”
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