Oxford MP Anneliese Dodds has “condemned” Diane Abbott’s comments after Sir Keir Starmer described the comments as “anti-Semitic” when speaking to broadcasters today.

Ms Abbott was suspended as a Labour MP after suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives”.

In a letter sent to the Guardian's sister newspaper the Observer, Ms Abbott suggested Jewish people do not face racism but instead suffered prejudice which was similar to “redheads”.

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Ms Dodds told the Oxford Mail today that she was fully “endorsing” Mr Starmer’s position, after he told Sky News he “utterly condemns” the comments Ms Abbott made.

After being pressed three times on whether Ms Abbott’s comments were "anti-Semitic", he said he believed they were and told broadcasters the Labour Party was “absolutely right” to act swiftly in response.

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Reacting to Ms Abbott’s comments, Ms Dodds said: “I condemn the comments and fully endorse the position that Keir Starmer has taken”.

Whether Ms Abbott will be allowed to stand again as a Labour MP will be decided after a formal investigation, Mr Starmer said.

After criticism across the political spectrum, Ms Abbott apologised and said the letter was an “initial draft” and her thoughts had been sent for publication by accident.

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In a visit to a community project in Camberwell, south London, Mr Starmer acknowledged Ms Abbott had “suffered a lot of racial abuse over many, many years” but argued that “we must never accept the argument that there’s some sort of hierarchy of racism”.

Ms Abbott’s article was in response to a separate article from Tomiwa Owolade which had the headline: “Racism in Britain is not black and white. It’s far more complicated.”

The MP for Hackney North challenged Mr Owolade’s claims that “Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from "racism" and instead argued that they “undoubtedly experience prejudice”.

Ms Abbott said prejudice was “similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable”.

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Ms Abbott will now sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons.

In Ms Abbott’s apology statement, she said: “I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them.

“The errors arose in an initial draft being sent.

“But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused.”

Ms Abbott added: “Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.

“Once again, I would like to apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.”

Ms Abbott is the eighth MP to be suspended from Labour and previously served in former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet as shadow home secretary.

Ms Abbott joins Mr Corbyn in sitting in the House of Commons as an independent MP, after he was suspended by Labour due to his reaction to a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Their report investigated how antisemitism complaints were handled under Mr Corbyn’s leadership of the party.

Last month, Mr Corbyn was blocked from standing for the Labour Party as a candidate in the next election.