Diane Abbott: Tories think they can win with "dog-whistle racism"

Diane Abbott has claimed the "rabid" Conservatives believe they can win votes with "dog-whistle racism", adding: "Haters gonna hate."

Diane Abbott: Tories think they can win with "dog-whistle racism"

The shadow home secretary took aim at Prime Minister Boris Johnson before suggesting the British public believe immigration has generally had a positive impact.

She added the Conservatives are "selling snake oil" over immigration, but said Britons are not buying it.

Her rallying speech at the Labour Party conference was well-received by delegates in the hall, with several pledges - including the closure of Yarl's Wood and Brook House detention centres and commitments to fund the police - repeated in her remarks.

Speaking in Brighton, Ms Abbott said of the Tory party: "They think that they can win votes with dog-whistle racism, led by Boris Johnson - a man who described veiled Muslim women as looking like letterboxes or bank robbers.

"And he has yet to apologise for this."

She said the Government has "emphatically not ended the suffering" of the victims of Windrush, adding the Tories "weaponise" immigration and "anti-foreigner sentiment" in elections.

Ms Abbott added: "The Tories are selling snake oil on immigration. But the British public aren't buying it.

"The haters are still very noisy. But, haters gonna hate.

"Britain has changed. Labour's leadership has changed. But it's still the same old rabid Tories - just even more extreme than the last lot.

"Boris Johnson and his Tories have no vision for our country. Only division."

On Brexit, Ms Abbott earlier said a no-deal Brexit is a "Boris Johnson project on behalf of Donald Trump".

She also said: "We would be subordinate to a United States currently led by one of the most right-wing presidents of modern times.

"The danger would be no action on climate change, more wars, a sell-off of our public services like the NHS and the Americanisation of working conditions."