Diane Abbott attempts to block coverage of son’s court hearing

 

Her son, James Abbott-Thompson, was arrested outside the Foreign Office in Whitehall, following an incident with an 'emergency worker'. The alleged assault took place within an hour of the London Bridge terrorist attack.  

 

The two incidents are not connected.

 

Mr Abbott-Thompson was charged with two accounts of assaulting an officer and a further charge under Section 4 of the Public Order Act. He is next due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on February 7th 2020.

 

Ms Abbott has previously, in Parliament, expressed her concern over assaults on emergency workers and police officers and has stated that "for too long police victims of violence have felt like second-class victims".

 

She had also told MP's at a 2016 Commons debate that "All assaults on the police are unacceptable and we will discuss how to address them"

 

Ms Abbott, was criticised for controversially sending her son, in 2004, to the  City of London School, one of Britain's most prestigious schools. She defended her decision in 2010 when she was standing for the Labour leadership, telling newspapers that it was "the making of him".