I have known Diane Abbott for a very, very long time. She wouldn’t be my chosen standard bearer of the left of the party. She can be a divisive figure, not simply politically; in her manner and conduct she seems to relish making enemies. In this way she is an epitome of the old struggles of the left in the ’80s when she was first elected.

But the left wing of our left-of-centre party deserve to be represented, and if Diane looks like the most likely candidate, then Diane it should be. There’s a lot of talk of trust in the Labour Party at the moment. Talk about losing the trust of our voters and talk about trusting our activists. But at the moment, whether we get to have a debate with that voice represented is purely up to our MPs. I hope enough of them have the courage to ensure that Diane goes through to the next round, and that that tradition of the left is represented in our debates.

I won’t be voting for Diane. I’m one of the many people she has had confrontation with. I also don’t think she can win, the AV system works against her as she is unlikely to garner many 2nd preference votes. But her presence in the debates should remind us of how plural a party we are, what a spectrum of views we represent and how important that coalition is.

Tags: av, Diane Abbott, Left Wing, trust

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