Britain's Labour Party has reinstated two suspended MPs — Diane Abbott and Joani Reid — restoring both to full party membership and returning them the parliamentary whip, the formal endorsement required to sit as an official Labour MP rather than an independent.

Abbott, 72, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington in east London and the longest-serving female member of parliament, had been suspended for a second time in July 2025 after telling the BBC she did not regret earlier comments suggesting that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people did not experience racism in the same way as people targeted because of their skin colour. It was her second suspension over similar remarks: she had first lost the whip in April 2023 after writing a letter to a newspaper making a comparable argument, was readmitted ahead of the 2024 general election following antisemitism awareness training, and then suspended again after the BBC interview. In a statement posted to social media on Thursday, Abbott apologised for a separate post in which she had referred to the Israeli Defence Force as the "Jewish Defence Force", saying the wording wrongly conflated the actions of the Israeli state with the Jewish community. The disciplinary process resulted in her receiving a formal warning. Abbott, who in 1987 became the first Black woman elected to the British parliament and is known affectionately as "Auntie Di" by supporters on the left, has been a prominent anti-racism campaigner throughout her career. More than 38,000 people had signed a petition calling for her reinstatement.

Reid, 39, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven in Scotland, had voluntarily relinquished the whip in March after her husband was arrested by counter-terrorism police on suspicion of assisting China's intelligence service. Reid was never accused of any wrongdoing and, according to Labour party sources, was never party to the police investigations. She stepped aside voluntarily to avoid becoming a distraction while the party conducted its own inquiries.

The party confirmed both readmissions followed separate independent disciplinary processes conducted under Labour party rules and approved by an independent review board. A spokesperson stressed that the decisions were made without input from party leadership or any political interference. The reinstatements nonetheless come less than two weeks into the premiership of Andy Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer as Labour leader and UK prime minister earlier this month and has signalled a shift in disciplinary culture, telling MPs he will allow them to voice disagreements without fear of retribution.

The decisions have not been without controversy. Jewish organisations including the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council had previously urged that any restoration of Abbott's whip require clear evidence of genuine remorse. A government source cautioned that if Abbott repeats such comments or makes antisemitic remarks, "she'll have to go again." Two Labour MPs remain suspended: Karl Turner, over comments reportedly deemed disrespectful to colleagues, and Dan Norris, the MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, who was suspended after being arrested on suspicion of sexual offences.