After Diane Abbott was appointed to Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet in the role of shadow secretary for International Development, some naysayers suggested her promotion could be linked to a brief fling she enjoyed with the Labour leader over 40 years ago. While many Labour MPs failed to come to Abbott’s defence, Ruth Davidson — the leader of the Scottish Conservatives — did at least intervene. She said that rather than any lingering feelings, it would be a ‘lifetime of friendship and shared activism’ that led to Abbott being given a front bench role.
Alas, the power of the sisterhood appears to have diminished somewhat since then. In an appearance over the weekend on Have I Got News For You, Davidson let it be known what she really made of Abbott’s credentials. When asked by Michael Sheen why reports had emerged this week claiming Abbott is being sidelined by Labour, Davidson gave a curt reply:
MS: Corbyn’s ally and former lover Diane Abbott is apparently being sidelined, why is that?
RD: Is it because she’s not very good? And says mad things on the Today show and then laughs a lot?
Davidson also managed to find time to voice her anger at her own party’s tax credit plans.
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