Diane Abbott has accused Keir Starmer of telling “lies” amid the row over whether she should stand for Labour at the election.
The veteran MP made the comment in a hastily-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) last night.
Abbott has been embroiled in a dispute with the Labour leadership since senior party sources briefed The Times last week that she would be barred from standing for the party on July 4.
That was despite the fact that she was given the Labour whip back 13 months after being suspended over a letter she sent to The Observer suggesting Jewish people do not experience racism.
Starmer U-turned on Friday by saying Abbott was “free” to be a Labour general election candidate and she confirmed yesterday that she planned to do so.
But in a further sign of the bad blood between the pair, Abbott last night tweeted “more lies from Starmer” above an article in which he claimed to have “more respect” for her than she realises.
The post was only up for a few moments before it was taken down - but not before it had been screen-grabbed by multiple accounts.
The row has proved to be a major distraction for Labour’s election campaign, with announcements on the NHS and anti-social behaviour being overshadowed by the controversy.
Labour’s ruling national executive committee will meet on Tuesday to make a final decision on whether or not Abbott will stand in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the seat she was represented since 1987.