Diane Abbott has admitted to Lorraine Kelly that she "didn't get much support" from Keir Starmer over racist comments made about her by Tory donor, Frank Hester.
Speaking to Lorraine on her show on Tuesday, the Labour MP appeared on the sofa to discuss politics and dealing with racism as well as what it was like to date Jeremy Corbyn.
She said: “My friends came round, but my friends have always been terribly supportive. Sadly, I didn’t get much support from Keir Starmer… I was a little bit hurt because if you are threatened with death, you expect your party to come round.”
Diane also added that she "made mistakes" during her career and opened up about her short romance with Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader.
She said: “I’ve made mistakes, but in a way, mistakes are a part of who you are and I think I have been very privileged to do things and go places that women from my background wouldn’t normally do. You have to look at the positives.”
Responding to Lorraine asking where Jeremy took her on their first date, Diane revealed: “He took me to see Karl Marx’s tomb in Highgate cemetery. There are no bad feelings...we are good friends."
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In 2019, Frank Hester was alleged to have commented that Diane, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.
Following the remarks, Hester apologised for making "rude comments" about her but denied his criticism had anything to do with Diane's gender or skin colour.
Abbott later told BBC’s Newsnight that the remarks made her feel in danger and "frightened," following the deaths of two MPs who have been killed in recent years.
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Speaking to The Times about Keir Starmer's response at the time, she said: “I think initially I was treated as a non-person … you would have felt that the party would have offered you support, advice on safety and security, even commiserated with you. And none of that happened.
“I got more support from the leader of the SNP, Stephen Flynn, than I did from the leader of my own party.”
Watch Lorraine weekdays from 9am on ITV1,ITVX, STV & STV Player.
