Labour accused of hiding away Diane Abbott after another car-crash interview
LABOUR was accused of hiding Diane Abbott from voters last night after she suddenly pulled out of two media appearances following her latest “carcrash” interview.
The shadow home secretary cancelled an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and at a London Evening Standard hustings due to illness.
It came amid reports that Jeremy Corbyn wants to keep her off air during the remaining stages of the election campaign, following a series of embarrassing broadcast appearances.
Ms Abbott was replaced by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry after her latest awkward television interview. The Labour politician was questioned by Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News about the Lord Harris report on improving London’s ability to respond to a terrorist attack, but struggled to recall its recommendations.
Lord Harris was asked by the London Mayor Sadiq Khan to review how the capital could improve its resources to cope with a major terrorist incident.
Asked on Monday night about the recommendations he had made, Ms Abbott said, “I think we do need to revisit that report” – but she floundered on the detail.
Questioned on which part of it should be revisited, she said: “Well I think it’s just about preparedness and resilience.”
She repeated “preparedness and resilience” when asked if she could remember the specific recommendations. Adding: “I think it was an important review and we should act on it.”
Pressed on whether she knew specifically what it recommended, she said: “I know he was talking about preparedness and resilience and I do think we need to act, not necessarily on every specific recommendation.”
Mr Murnaghan asked about Lord Harris’s recommendations for the police forces in the capital.
Ms Abbott said: “You mean the idea they should work more closely together?” He replied: “No, he was suggesting they should amalgamate.”
She said it was an “interesting” idea but suggested that it would meet resistance. Mr Murnaghan then asked her about the report’s recommendations on greater “physical resilience”. She said: “Yes, I think physical resilience is important.”
Last month, she got figures completely wrong in a car-crash interview. A Labour spokesman said: “Diane Abbott has had to pull out of Woman’s Hour due to illness. Emily Thornberry will take part instead.”
Shortly before Ms Abbott was due to go on Woman’s Hour she was photographed at Oxford Circus Tube station – just a 10 minute walk away from New Broadcasting House.
Priti Patel, the International Development Secretary, claimed Labour was hiding Ms Abbott. She said: “The woman who would be in charge of our police and the intelligence services cannot even be trusted by Jeremy Corbyn and John Mcdonnell to go on the airwaves to explain their shocking record on national security.”
Meanwhile, Ms Abbott appeared to fall victim to a hoax email conversation with an online prankster pretending to be Seamus Milne, Mr Corbyn’s communications director. She is alleged to have told the fake account she did not want to tell “untruths” about her health after pulling out of media appearances.