Diane Abbott compares IRA views to changing hairstyles

Diane Abbott, who hopes to be in charge of anti-terror operations after next month’s UK general election, has compared her previous support for the defeat of the British army in Northern Ireland to a haircut that is no longer in fashion.

The shadow home secretary was questioned on Sunday morning over her previous views on terrorism and banned organisations amid a public debate about the consequences of the terror attack in Manchester.

In a searching interview on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show, Abbott said she no longer supported her previous calls for the abolition of MI5, and defended a decision to sign a parliamentary motion opposing a ban of organisations such as al-Qaida.

In 1984, Abbott said Ireland “is our struggle – every defeat of the British state is a victory for all of us. A defeat in Northern Ireland would be a defeat indeed.”

Abbott, then a Labour councillor, added: “Though I was born here in London, I couldn’t identify as British.”

Speaking on the Marr Show, Abbott tried to brush off the comments and said that when she made them she was sporting an afro haircut. “I had an afro. It was 34 years ago. The hairstyle has gone and some of the views have gone. We have all moved on,” she said.

Abbott was also questioned over why she had signed an early day motion in 1989 calling for the abolition of “conspiratorial groups” such as MI5 and Special Branch. Abbott said the organisation has since been reformed.

“At that time, MI5 needed reforming. It has since been reformed and of course I would not call for its abolition now,” she said.

Marr questioned why, shortly before the 9/11 attacks, Abbott voted against proscribing organisations including al-Qaida and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

Abbott responded that the list involved some organisations that should be seen as dissident groups, not terrorists. “What the legislation brought forward was a whole list of organisations some of which were not terrorist organisations, but dissident organisations,” she said.

Marr read the list to Abbott – which also included Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Armed Islamic Group, Harakat Mujahideen, the Tamil Tigers, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Group, the Islamic Army of Aden, the Abu Nidal Organisation, the Kurdistan Workers Party – and asked which should not be proscribed.

Abbott said: “The titles are one thing, but the reality of some of those groups were that they were dissidents in their country of origin ... Had they taken out al-Qaida as one thing, that would have been different.”

She urged Marr and the media to focus less on the previous views of Abbott and Corbyn and instead on how to combat terrorism now. “At this point less than a week after the terror attack in Manchester, we have to look forward at how to keep our people safe,” she said.

Asked why she was qualified to to be home secretary, Abbott said: “We have put forward a manifesto which is a transforming manifesto for health and education and we say how we can afford it. There is something to be said for a home secretary who has actually worked in the Home Office – I worked there for three years as a graduate trainee.

“I have also had experience of being a constituency MP for more than 30 years.”

Amber Rudd, the home secretary, who appeared on the show after Abbott, said Abbott’s previous views were unacceptable. “I’ve changed my hairstyle a few times in 34 years too. But I’ve not changed my view on how to keep the public safe,” she said.

More than 3,600 people were killed and thousands more injured during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which lasted 30 years.

Jeremy Corbyn, asked if Abbott’s reference to her hairstyle trivialised the IRA, told ITV’s Peston on Sunday: “Diane’s hairstyle is a matter for Diane.”

Pressed on the issue of Northern Ireland, the Labour leader said that he and Abbott were among many Labour and Conservative politicians who spoke to the different communities.

“Remember what it was like ... in the late 70s and early 80s, the military presence all over Northern Ireland, the huge divide between communities, the lack of any communication between communities, the idea that there’d be a military solution when we knew there wouldn’t be.

“I remember arguing with many people in parliament and when Ian Paisley was thrown out of parliament for accusing the prime minister of talking to the republicans, which she denied she was and it turned out she probably was, I actually defended him on being thrown out of parliament.”

Asked if Abbott would be his home secretary, Corbyn replied: “Diane is our home affairs spokesperson and I’m looking to appoint our shadow cabinet.”