The Labour veteran is once again sitting as an independent this evening after the party issued its fifth suspension in 24 hours.

Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party for a second time after repeating comments about racism for which she had previously apologised. The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP said the Labour leadership “wants me out” and that her comments in a BBC interview released this week were “factually correct”.

Ms Abbott was suspended in 2023 after writing a letter to the Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that of other groups.

The leader of the opposition Reform party, Nigel Farage, is calling the plan an ‘attempt to rig the political system.’

Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation. A party spokesperson confirmed the suspension but did not give a reason why. It comes after the veteran MP defended previous comments about racism which led to a year-long suspension. She was readmitted back into the party just before last year's general election.

One recent poll on support for a hypothetical Corbyn-led party – which we should take with some salt – found that its 10% support comes partly from eating into the Green vote. An electoral arrangement with the Greens, on the other hand, may require shared policy platforms, raising the question of why a separate party is needed.

There are parallels between the political conditions which faced Harold Wilson and Sir Keir Starmer’s current challenges.

The suspensions will be seen as an attempt to restore discipline following a number of rebellions that has forced the government into U-turns.

The real winners in 2024 though, certainly in terms of bang for their respective bucks, are Reform and the Lib Dems, both of which only spent around £5.5 million. To put that in direct context, the Lib Dems spent £14.4 million in 2019 for a far poorer result.