Writing on the wall for Diane Abbott as Labour moves to find successor

Exclusive: Contenders teed up for parliamentary seat, which MP says ‘seem to pre-empt results of investigation’

Moves to find a successor to Diane Abbott in the parliamentary seat she has represented since 1987 are under way, prompting concern that her fate has been decided before an investigation into her latest suspension has concluded.

Potential contenders have been spoken to by figures on the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), teeing them up for a future contest in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, and giving them informal advice on how to prepare, according to a party source.