Election latest: Abbott makes Labour's final list of election candidates; ex-Reform leader making 'painful discovery' about Farage (2024)

Labour's National Executive Committee is finalising the party's list of candidates for the general election - and Diane Abbott has made the cut.

Sky News has seen the list of candidates, and can confirm Ms Abbott has been selected for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.

It comes after the veteran left-winger said she intended to stand as Labour's candidate following months of uncertainty over her future.

A row has been ongoing for weeks over the treatment of Ms Abbott, after briefings - apparently incorrect - the leadership wanted to bar her.

Sir Keir Starmer has denied this was the case, with top Labour figures repeating that she would be free to run for her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat after the party whip was restored last week.

She'd been suspended for more than a year over comments in which she suggested Jewish people did not experience racism, which she retracted and apologised for.

The Labour leader admitted today that he and Ms Abbott have not spoken in "two or three" months (see 10.13 post).

The main focus of the day for the Conservatives is their proposal to place an annual cap on worker and family visas.

This is part of their efforts to make sure immigration figures fall year-on-year if they remain in government after the election.

Temporary work routes, such as seasonal agricultural workers, would not fall within the cap.

Immigration has become a key battleground in this election after net migration hit a record high of 745,000 last year.

And it was supercharged yesterday by Nigel Farage's return to the frontline of British politics.

Under the Tory plan, a Migration Advisory Committee will look at the numbers to balance the country's economic needs against the pressure on public services before suggesting a level to the government.

The government will then decide on a cap and put it to a vote in the Commons.

Home Secretary James Cleverly faced questions on the campaign trail today about why the government hadn't suggested its own number for the cap.

He said the plan would balance needs and costs, and a Tory majority would "take those figures and utilise them professionally".

The home secretary said migration is putting pressure on public services and "getting the balance right is a conversation that is long overdue".

Never shy of a photo opportunity, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has provided us with a rather literal interpretation of his party's bid to bring down the so-called Blue Wall at this election.

Just as the Tories took chunks out of the Red Wall (Labour's traditional strongholds) back in 2019, the Lib Dems are hoping to do the same to the Conservatives this time.

Today Sir Ed is in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, which was won by the Tories with a 46% share of the vote last time out.

His party came second with 41.8%, so it's a big target.

Sir Ed was there this morning with local candidate Tom Morrison, where they enjoyed a spot of appropriately-themed Jenga…

The other candidates in Cheadle are:

• Alexander Frank Richard Drury, Greens;
• Kelly Fowler, Labour;
• Tanya Manzoor, Workers Party;
• Mary Robinson, Conservatives.

Labour is reiterating its pitch to voters today - stability.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has been outlining the party's economic policy in Edinburgh.

It boils down to: "This is a change election, and stability is change after the 14 years that we have had."

She adds: "It's only with stability that we can grow our economy and improve living standards for ordinary working people."

This stability, she says, would come through a "tough set of economic rules" - including paying for "day-to-day spending through tax receipts".

However, she says, stability on its own is not enough - the UK "needs investment" and she also mentions reform.

Ms Reeves is in Edinburgh as the party continues to try to win back Scottish voters to help it get back to power, with Labour having been decimated by the SNP since the 2015 general election.

Who's got time to come up with policies when you've got absolutely critical decisions to make over what to wear on the campaign trail?

Jokes aside, some attention has been paid to the fashion choices of both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer in recent days.

The prime minister, whose fondness for Adidas Samba shoes had already made headlines before the election kicked off, raised eyebrows with his pricey rucksack when he got the sleeper train to Cornwall.

It was reported to be a £750 luxury backpack from Tumi, monogrammed with his initials.

'Legal attire won't cut the mustard'

And then there was Sir Keir's £500 jacket from French fashion brand Sandro, which he wore while visiting Blackpool.

Sarah Gray, a personal stylist and image consultant, told Kay Burley's Breakfast programme the two leaders do need to look the part.

Their dress sense can help them "appeal to a wide audience", and make them appear "more approachable" and "recognisable".

Sir Keir, she says, is "most definitely realising his legal attire's not going to cut the mustard" in his role as Labour leader.

But she says both Mr Sunak and Sir Keir would want to be careful about wearing pricey attire in "less affluent" areas.

Farage has 'sharpened up' his suits

She also noticed a slight change in the cut of Nigel Farage's suit when he announced he was taking over Reform and running for parliament on Monday afternoon.

"We could see he's sharpened up," she said.

And long gone is the purple UKIP-coloured tie of election campaigns from years gone by - this time it was decorated with butterflies, which symbolises "transformation", Gray said.

Today, Labour's ruling committee will approve the final list of candidates going forward for election - including Diane Abbott.

As Sir Keir Starmer reiterated this morning, she's free to stand for the party once again - though the leader admitted he hasn't spoken to her for several months (see 10.13 post).

After a week of accusations that Sir Keir's tried to purge the party's left, Labour's 650 prospective MPs should be rubber-stamped in a short online meeting at midday.

Sir Keir will hope this process by the National Executive Committee draws a line under the controversy over treatment of Ms Abbott, after briefings - apparently incorrect - the leadership wanted to bar her.

The Labour leader has a majority on the NEC and his will goes.

Recriminations have surrounded the process, not least because various Sir Keir loyalists on the 40-member NEC have themselves been selected.

Faiza Shaheen, a Jeremy Corbyn-supporting economist who was dropped as a candidate in Chingford and Woodford Green over social media posts, has claimed the Labour Party is "institutionally racist".

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the left-wing MP for Brighton Kemptown since 2017, claimed he was suspended over a complaint from eight years ago.

He told my colleague Serena Barker-Singh today: "The system is wrong. There's a danger it looks like cronyism or 'Jobs for the boys'."

As one Labour insider put it: "The Labour Party love to get bogged down in process, but hopefully this soap opera can now come to an end."

Meanwhile, the Tories still have dozens of seats to select.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was asked whether the Labour Party would guarantee to reduce net migration year-on-year, as has been pledged by the Conservatives.

He didn't give a straight answer, but did reiterate that migration is "far too high".

Sir Keir says: "The Conservatives have let immigration get out of control, we've got record numbers of people coming to this country.

"And they've now said they're going to have a visa cap, they've not said what the number is.

"We did have a visa cap before, Rishi Sunak argued to get rid of it - which they did in 2020 - and now they're going back to it but without a number."

Asked again whether Labour could guarantee this drop, Sir Keir would only say he wants immigration to "come down".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is in Greater Manchester, where he has been discussing the row around Diane Abbott.

He is asked about a social media post which claims he was lying about "having respect for her" as a Labour candidate in Hackney North and Stoke Newington.

Has he spoken to Ms Abbott since then?

"We have dealt with the Diane Abbott issue," Sir Keir says.

"The choice is continue with the chaos of division or turn the page with Labour."

The Labour leader says Ms Abbott "will be part of that".

Asked again, he says: "I spoke to Diane two or three months ago."

Our political correspondent Mhari Aurorais hearing Rishi Sunak could soon suffer yet more defections.

Rather than to Labour, where three Tories have moved to recently - Mark Logan, Natalie Elphicke, and Dan Poulter - Mhari's hearing some may be heading for Reform UK.

It comes after a double dose of bad news for the Tories on an "absolutely fascinating" night for the election campaign, which saw Nigel Farage announce he was taking over as Reform leader and standing for parliament himself for an eighth time.

He'll be going for the seat of Clacton.

Less than an hour later, a "bombshell poll" projected a huge majority for Labour, even bigger than Tony Blair's 1997 landslide.

Mhari says Farage's return and the poll "has really shaken some Tories", adding: "I've been speaking to some Tories this morning who have been telling me they're expecting some potential defections to Reform after that.

"It will be interesting how this starts to play out - how much the Tory party can keep things together, or if things start to fall apart."