A Political Life

NEWS A POLITICAL LIFE

For Homerton Bye-Fellow in Politics, Dr Robin Bunce, lockdown provided a golden opportunity to complete the project which has defined his last three years: the authorised biography of Labour MP Diane Abbott.

“ I began researching it just after the 2017 election – my entire life revolves around elections! It was then two years of research, and I started writing immediately after the 2019 election, before the results came out.”

Robin had previously written a book about Darcus Howe and the British Black

Power movement (Darcus Howe: A Political Biography by Robin Bunce and Paul Field, published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2013). After Diane Abbott, a friend and supporter of Howe’s, wrote a favourable review of the biography, Robin asked her whether she would be open to being the subject of a similar book herself.

“I couldn’t have written it without her approval, as the whole project relied on the interviews and access that she was able to give me. Having her on side was essential to the project. The only downside is that it slightly limits who will agree to talk to you, as people who are likely to be critical know that the text will need to be approved by the subject. Having said that, Charles

Clarke, who is not her biggest fan, gave me two hours.”

Robin met Diane every couple of months throughout his period of research, allowing him front row access to British politics during one of its most turbulent episodes in recent times.

“The book was written during the biggest constitutional crisis in living memory, so a lot of interviews had to be put on hold when there were crucial Brexit votes going on. But that also gave me the extraordinary feeling of being at the centre of events as they were unfolding. I had so many great experiences – seeing Rory Stewart disco dancing in Central Lobby during the Tory leadership election was something I’ll never forget!”

Immersing yourself in another person’s life for three years is clearly both fascinating and slightly strange – Robin admits to having had such a “myopic” focus while writing the book that he once asked his wife “What’s Abbott doing today?” when referring to their teenage daughter. Her name, needless to say, is not Abbott. However, it has also left him with a lasting admiration for his subject’s commitment to her friendships and her principles.

“It’s rarely appreciated how much politics is about friendship and loyalty. There’s a huge affection between people who were part of the Black Sections movement, regardless of how their politics have diverged. Diane brought ideas from the 1970s black feminist movement to inform her politics, and in the past 10 years a new generation of black radical thinkers have picked up on them.”

Having begun writing in December 2019, in the immediate aftermath of the election, lockdown gave Robin the unexpected freedom to focus solely on completing the book, which was finished, appropriately, on 11 June 2020, the 33rd anniversary of Diane Abbott’s entry to parliament. Cowritten with the award-winning writer and researcher Dr Samara Linton, the book is scheduled to be published by Biteback publishers in mid-September.