Diane Abbott has not been barred from standing as Labour candidate, says Starmer

Diane Abbott not barred from standing as Labour candidate, says StarmerSource PA

Transcript

00:00Firstly, I'm shocked that we're in this position because this has been going on a very long time.

00:06I think the government should have resolved it and negotiated a settlement and what they've

00:11effectively done is kicked it the other side of the general election. That's unforgivable.

00:18Obviously, I don't want a strike to go ahead. I don't think health staff want to go on strike

00:25and it really impacts on patients, so I don't want it to go ahead. But if we are privileged

00:29enough to come in and to serve, then it will fall to us to settle this and to come to an agreement

00:38so the NHS can get back to working in the way that it desperately needs to for so many people

00:43on the waiting lists. No, that's not true. No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott.

00:50The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day,

00:57so she's a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party and no decision has been taken barring her.