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Diane Abbott’s vanishing act

On Thursday, Diane Abbott came unstuck in an interview with ITV News after she failed to explain how Labour would pay for its policy to put 10,000 more bobbies on the beat. The shadow home secretary’s confusion was particularly telling given that she struggled with the same policy during the general election campaign – with a car crash interview on LBC.

Abbott has since said that it was the broadcaster who was at fault for daring to ask her to go into specifics on a party policy. But have the powers that be taken a different view? Mr S only asks after the line-up for Radio 4’s Westminster Hour was changed last minute.

On Friday, Abbott was scheduled to join:

However, she was then removed from the line-up – with Barry Gardiner replacing her:

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