Diane Abbott's disappearing act

Last night, Diane Abbott used an appearance on Sky News to insist that she had not been sidelined by the Leader’s Office in light of her recent interview performances. However, in that same interview she went on to generate more negative headlines when the shadow home secretary appeared to have little to no knowledge of the Lord Harris report on improving London’s terror preparedness.

So, Mr S was curious to learn that today Abbott has mysteriously dropped out of a scheduled appearance on Woman’s Hour – with Emily Thornberry being lined up to replace her. While one Labour source tells Steerpike that Abbott has been ‘spoken to’ following her disastrous interview last night, Mr S fears that today’s absence signals the return of ‘the migraine’. Abbott’s migraines have a habit of coming on at the worst times – such as the Article 50 vote that she missed.