ABBOTT FREE TO RUN AS MP FOR LABOUR

Starmer lets left-winger stand after return from suspension

- LIZZY BUCHAN

DIANE Abbott is free to stand as a Labour candidate in the General Election, Keir Starmer has said.

After days of uncertainty about her political future, the Labour leader said the veteran MP is "free to go forward" as a candidate.

Starmer backed away from a threat to block her from standing for Labour in Hackney North and Stoke Newington - a seat she has represented since 1987.

It came after Deputy Leader Angela Rayner publicly declared she could not see "any reason" why Abbott should not be allowed to be a Labour candidate.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also said Abbott was "an historic figure in our party, a trailblazer and someone. who has a record of service for our party and our communities". The row had threatened to overshadow the start of the party's campaign.