Leftwing MP Diane Abbott announced live on this morning Radio 4's Today Programme, she was running for the Labour Party leadership, becoming the first woman and ethnic minority candidate to enter the race. Abbott told the Today programme that she wanted to open up the field because she did not feel there was "a lot" between the candidates who had thrown their hats in the ring so far, she also said she had asked herself “If not now, when? And if not me, who?” Abbott, who doubled her majority at the general election, insisted her candidacy was "perfectly serious". " I'm going to run, so many people in the past 48 hours have asked me to put my hat in the ring and I have finally decided to do so."
Abbott said Labour needed the "broadest possible" contest as it debated the future of the party after this month's general election defeat. "We can't go forward with a leadership debate where there is no woman," she said.
Ms Abbot added that none of the current frontrunners in the race would admit that the immigration system is "still inefficient and unfair and brings abuse, but nobody will say we have to address the underlying issues behind black and white working-class unease about immigration, about housing, job insecurity.
"And, you know, if we are going to have a debate about immigration, I am the child of immigrants. Don't the millions of British people who are the children of immigrants have a voice in this debate also? I could not be more serious."
I don't doubt her seriousness, neither do I have a big doubt on weather she would get the 33 nominations to get her name on the ballot paper, my big worry is she will split the left & trade union vote, that is also being garnered by Ed Balls and John Mcdonell. Although I do back Ed Balls, Diana Abbot is a carbon copy of my political compass, i.e the left of the Labour Party. So I honestly wish her the best!
