Exchequer secretary to the Treasury James Murray said it was ‘absolutely not the case’ that Number 10 had wanted Ms Abbott to out of the party.

We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing,” a Labour spokesperson said.Ms Abbott posted a clip of her BBC interview after news of her suspension emerged. She did not respond to a request for comment,

It is this that lies at the heart of the latest chapter in the long running saga of Diane Abbott and the Labour Party. A saga whose central character is pioneering and history making: Diane Abbott was the first black woman ever elected to the House of Commons and is now the Mother of the House,