In a move that surprised absolutely no one who has been paying attention, Diane Abbott and Joani Reid have been readmitted to the Labour Party and had the parliamentary whip restored, just under two weeks into Andy Burnham’s premiership. The party confirmed that this followed separate independent disciplinary processes, though Labour said the leadership played no role in either decision - because apparently, the party has an autopilot mode for these things.

Abbott, the mother of the House of Commons, was suspended for a second time last summer after saying she did not regret comments about racism that had led to her initial withdrawal of the whip in 2023. She has since apologized after the investigation concluded, receiving a formal warning from the party. Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven elected in 2024, voluntarily relinquished the whip in March after her husband was arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service in a case linked to China. Reid has never been accused of wrongdoing, and Labour sources confirmed she has never been party to the police investigations into alleged Chinese spying.

A Labour party spokesperson said: “The Labour party expects the highest standards from our elected representatives and party members. The party assesses any alleged breaches of such standards independently of the leadership and political interference.” Translation: We have a process, and we followed it - eventually.

Abbott’s saga began in April 2023 when she wrote a letter to the Observer arguing that Jewish, Irish, and Traveller people experienced prejudice rather than racism. She apologized and withdrew the remarks, completed antisemitism awareness training, and received a formal warning. But last July, she told the BBC that “there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism,” which earned her a second suspension. Her second suspension was seen as a sign that then-prime minister Keir Starmer intended to take a tougher approach to party discipline - after being forced to U-turn over controversial welfare cuts because of a massive rebellion by his MPs.

Burnham has told Labour MPs he will change disciplinary culture and allow MPs to speak about their disagreements without fearing retribution. A government source told the Guardian that Abbott’s readmission had nothing to do with Burnham’s regime change - and that if she repeats these comments, or makes antisemitic remarks, “she’ll have to go again.” Because nothing says new culture like an implied threat.