Jungle trials could be making of Dugdale

Is an appearance on I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here really the death knell for Kezia Dugdale’s political career so many predict? The list of politicians who have dipped their toes in the world of tawdry “reality” shows is growing and it is not always disastrous.

George Galloway may never live down dressing in a leotard and mewling like a kitten in the Big Brother house and rising Liberal Democrat star Lembit Opik was lampooned for his appearance in the jungle while Ed Balls can surely never return to frontline politics after dancing on Strictly.

Edwina Currie, Ann Widdecombe, Nadine Dorries – the list goes on. But others have turned new-found celebrity status to their considerable advantage.

Could untouchable Boris Johnson have climbed so high without his panel show appearances and is Jacob ReesMogg on the same trajectory for the same reason?

Penny Mordaunt has just been promoted to the Cabinet despite donning a costume for Splash, a short-lived diving competition

Recognition, no matter the circumstances, has always gone some way to achieving success in politics. A reality show is merely an extended 21st Century photocall.

It is fraught with danger but, should she navigate through the jungle with dignity intact, nightly exposure to millions may be a masterstroke by Ms Dugdale.