DIANE FLIPS HER LID
IRA row gets hairy
BARMY Diane Abbott tried to distance herself from claims she supported the IRA by talking about her hairstyle.
The Shadow Home Secretary said her views had changed along with her haircut which used to be a “rather splendid Afro”.
She was quizzed over her comments in support of Republican terrorists she made in 1984.
But instead of dismissing her statement that “every defeat of the British state is a victory for all of us” she simply insisted her views on the IRA have changed, just like her hair.
Splendid
She said: “I don’t have the same hairstyle, I don’t have the same views. It was 34 years ago, I had a rather splendid Afro at the time. The hairstyle is gone, some of the views are gone.” But Home Secretary Amber Rudd hit back at Ms Abbott: “What I would say to Diane Abbott is I have changed my hairstyle a few times in 34 years as well, but I have not changed my view about how we keep the British public safe.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was asked if Ms Abbott’s hairstyle comments trivialised the IRA.
He told Peston On Sunday: “Diane’s hairstyle is a matter for Diane. We learnt a lot from the whole experience of Northern Ireland.”
It came as Labour announced plans to bolster security and intelligence staff to prevent terrorism.