John McDonnell faces losing whip TONIGHT with controversial speech as Labour row erupts

Ukraine: Diane Abbott calls for de-escalation and dialogue

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The former right-hand man to Jeremy Corbyn is due to speak at a “No to war in Ukraine” rally taking place tonight. If he goes ahead with speaking it is thought he will kicked out of the Parliamentary Labour Party, and lose his right to sit with MPs from the Official Opposition in the House of Commons.

The event has been organised by the Stop the War Coalition that has been vocal in criticising NATO’s actions in Eastern Europe in the lead up to Russia’s invasion.

It has previously claimed that NATO expansion had aggravated Vladimir Putin.

A number of radical left-wing Labour MPs are supporters of the organisation and 11 signed a letter from the group last week that accused the Government of having “no proposals for a diplomatic solution to the crisis”.

They withdrew their names after Sir Keir Starmer warned he would remove the whip if they did not back down.

On Monday the Labour leader further warned MPs that any member of the party that draws “false equivalence between the actions of Russia and the actions of NATO” would be booted out.

A description of the event Mr McDonnell is due to speak at tonight claims Putin’s invasion was “thirty years in the making” due to the actions of the West.

It states: “We oppose Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

“We also recognise this is a conflict thirty years in the making, a conflict in which Britain is playing a provocative role – talking up war, decrying diplomacy and supplying arms to Ukraine as well as supporting increased military deployments to neighbouring countries.

“Leading figures from the anti-war movement will provide insight and analysis missing from most media coverage.

“We must ensure that the anti-war campaign is prepared and organised to pull us back from the precipice – so come along on Wednesday.”

Mr McDonnell’s name appears on the poster for the event that states he will be speaking.

Mr Corbyn, who is Vice President of the Stop the War Coalition, is also down to make an address to attendees.

A Labour source said Sir Keir would not hesitate to act if Mr McDonnell goes ahead with his speech.

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They said: “If he goes, he’ll lose the whip.

“Any Labour MPs who speak at anything that is anti-Nato from now on are likely to be out.”

Sir Keir Starmer has already proven his determination to act against those in the party criticising NATO.

Last week he took decisive action to clamp down on the party’s own youth wing for failure to back the defence alliance.

He slashed Young Labour’s funding, cancelled its annual conference, and suspended access to its Twitter account.

Young Labour was “actively detrimental to the Party’s core objectives: to promote Labour candidates and policies, and to win elections”, a statement said.

Posts on social media from the group, which Labour members aged 26 and under are automatically enrolled into, had called on the UK to withdraw from NATO and “pursue an international policy based on peace” to solve the Ukraine crisis.

While it condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the neighbouring democracy, it accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of “warmongering and bellicosity”.

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