Labour Faces Calls to Expel Abbott Over NATO Remarks
Labour MP Diane Abbott faces expulsion calls after characterizing Ukraine's war as a NATO campaign against Russia rather than Russian aggression in a Morning Star article.
The 72-year-old politician, who was formally reinstated to the parliamentary party by Prime Minister Andy Burnham last Thursday with a warning over her second suspension, has drawn sharp criticism from colleagues for what one MP described as promoting dangerous pro-Putin propaganda.
In an article published in the Morning Star, Abbott framed Ukraine’s struggle against Russian invasion as a Nato campaign against Russia, dismissing Western concerns about Moscow’s military threat to Europe as politically motivated rather than legitimate security concerns.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington representative, who holds the title Mother of the House, argued that heightened attention to military spending stems not from Russia’s presence in Ukraine, which she noted began over four years ago, but from former US President Donald Trump’s demands that Nato members increase their defence budgets.
Dismissing Russian Threat to Europe
Abbott went further in downplaying the Kremlin’s expansionist ambitions, ridiculing suggestions that Russian forces could sweep through Europe as not being a serious proposition.
In a June speech, she outlined her view that peace advocates currently face multiple conflicts, including what she termed a military build-up against China, war and blockade in Iran, and one of the biggest wars in Europe since World War Two, which she explicitly labelled the Nato campaign against Russia.
Conservative Backlash Within Party
Fellow Labour MPs have not held back in their condemnation of Abbott’s position. One parliamentarian told The Telegraph that her claims were dangerous and irresponsible, emphasising that there is no Nato war on Russia and no Western conspiracy to fabricate threats.
The controversy places fresh pressure on Burnham, whose decision to reinstate Abbott had already generated internal party tensions. The Prime Minister now faces questions about whether tolerating such views aligns with Labour’s stated commitment to transatlantic security cooperation and support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Abbott’s characterisation of the conflict directly contradicts the Western consensus that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents an unprovoked act of aggression against a sovereign nation, not a defensive response to Nato expansion as Moscow and its sympathisers claim.
With information from GB News
