Diane Abbott has confirmed she will not remain in the shadow cabinet when the next Labour leader is elected.

The shadow home secretary said that regardless of who wins she will return to life on the backbenches and work on ensuring the party doesn't take a "swerve to the right on migration policy".

She also declared support for Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary who critics dub the "continuity Corbyn" candidate.

Image: Ms Abbott is backing Rebecca Long-Bailey (left) in the leadership race

Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Ms Abbott was asked if she wanted to keep a senior position in the new leader's shadow cabinet.

"No," she confirmed. "I will be stepping down because I think the new leader, whether it's Becky, whether it's Lisa [Nandy], whether it's Keir [Starmer], they'll have to be able to choose their own shadow cabinet.


"I was a backbencher for a few years and there is an awful lot to do on the backbenches.

"One of the things that I'd want to do is make sure that we don't make a swerve to the right on migration policy - I think that's a dead end for the Labour Party.

"We have to stand by our principles and stand by our values and make sure we have an immigration policy which is fair and which is workable."

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Ms Abbott, who was a backbencher for 23 years before being promoted to shadow the health and home secretaries by leader Jeremy Corbyn, also said Labour is "long overdue a woman leader" and that it is "embarrassing" that the party has never had one.

And she doubled down on her claim it was "unlikely" a former senior parliamentary official was intimidated by ex-Speaker John Bercow.

Lieutenant General David Leakey, who kept order in the House of Lords from 2011-17, filed a formal complaint "detailing allegations of bullying, intimidation and unacceptable behaviour" by Mr Bercow, who stepped down from politics in November and denies the claims.

'It's unlikely Leakey was intimidated by Bercow'

Image: Lieutenant General David Leakey filed a formal complaint

But Ms Abbott tweeted that he had "served in Germany, Northern Ireland and Bosnia" and that "claims he was bullied" were "unlikely".

It provoked a fierce backlash, with head of the civil servants' union Dave Penman telling Sky News: "To try and suggest somehow that David Leakey's background makes him immune from this I think is ludicrous. It lacks common sense. It's simply about trying to support Bercow."

Asked if she was denying Lt Gn Leakey was intimidated, Ms Abbott told Ridge On Sunday: "Anybody can be bullied. Anybody of any age or any profession can be bullied. I think intimidating Leakey is one thing, but of course anybody can be bullied."

She insisted: "Anybody can be intimidated. But I think that given Leakey and the leadership roles that he played, as I said I think it's unlikely he was intimidated by John Bercow.

"Annoyed by John Bercow, insulted by John Bercow, but not intimidated."

Image: John Bercow denies any accusations of bullying

Ms Abbott added she knew a lot about receiving abuse.

"Anybody can be abused - and I know more about this than some members of parliament because I remain the most abused online of any Labour MP," she said.

"But all I was saying was that given Leakey's history, it seems unlikely he'd actually be intimidated by John Bercow."

The former Speaker faced a raft of bullying accusations in the run up to his resignation, but a new wave was launched when it was reported Labour was lining up to nominate him for a peerage.

Dawn Butler, an MP running to be the party's deputy leader, said Downing Street should follow tradition and elevate Mr Bercow to the House of Lords - "otherwise I think that is a form of bullying too".

Earlier this week he dismissed accusations that he frequently lost his temper.

"I make no apology for the fact that I fought my corner.

"But the idea I was some sort of raging bull... has no credibility at all," he said, according to The Guardian.