Diane Abbott has vowed to be the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington “as long as it is possible” amid a row over her political future.
Addressing a crowd outside Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday evening, the Labour veteran said: “You have always stood with me in good times and bad and I will always stand with you.”
Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday, but the question of whether or not she will be able to stand as a candidate for the party in the general election remains mired in uncertainty.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had sent a message of support to Ms Abbott as he spoke at a rally in north London where he launched his own independent campaign for the Islington North seat after being banned from running for Labour.
In another twist in Labour’s candidacy drama on Wednesday, MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said he has been suspended by the party over what he called a “vexatious and politically motivated complaint” against him, and that he cannot stand under the Labour banner at the election.
The PA news agency understands that Mr Russell-Moyle was suspended from the party pending investigation after a serious complaint was received last week.
