Diane Abbott to make history as first black person to represent their party at PMQs
1 min read
Diane Abbott will make history on Wednesday as the first black person to represent their party at Prime Minister's Questions.
The Shadow Home Secretary will stand in for Jeremy Corbyn and face Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab across the despatch box.
Mr Raab is filling in for Boris Johnson, who will be delivering his speech to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester at the same time.
Revealing the move in a tweet, Mr Corbyn said: "This #BlackHistoryMonth we’re inspired by the struggles of black campaigners including the first black MPs elected in 1987.
"Tomorrow one of those pioneering MPs, a child of the Windrush Generation, Diane Abbott, will be the first black person to represent their party at #PMQs."
Ms Abbott is the latest Labour frontbencher to stand in for Mr Corbyn, with Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry and Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey previously stepping up to the plate for the 12pm clash.
In a tweet, the Shadow Home Secretary said she was "looking forward" to the bout.
The House of Commons is normally in recess over the conference period, but the unusual session of PMQs is taking place after opposition parties last week refused to grant the Government's request to send MPs away.
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