I’ve only just caught up with the quite literally hair raising interview with Diane Abbott had on this morning’s The Andrew Marr show. If you can’t watch the video above here’s an excerpt from The Spectator.

When Marr moved onto Abbott’s questionable views on the IRA, she came up with an even more novel answer. Comparing her words of support for the IRA to her decision to have an afro, Abbott said her views — like her hair — have changed:

AM: Jeremy Corbyn got into some trouble in his Andrew Neil interview when he said he had not met the IRA and he was then photographed with lots of people from the IRA. You yourself said that it would a defeat for the British state would be a great liberation, a great move forward. Do you regret your support for the IRA back in the eighties?

DA: That particular quote you’re referring to comes from a now defunct left wing newspaper.

AM: But you said it…

DA: … but what I’m saying is: it was 34 years ago, I had a rather splendid afro at the time. I don’t have the same hairstyle and I don’t have the same views. The hairstyle has gone and some of the views have gone.

And again:

AM: Do you think those statements now are wrong?

DA: It was 34 years ago and I’ve moved on.

Given her previous problems earlier on this campaign over police funding and numbers, it might be wise for Labour to use other members of the shadow cabinet, people like Sir Keir Starmer and Tom Watson, who have been underused during this campaign, even John McDonnell with his even richer back story with the IRA would have done a better job than Diane Abbott.

Perhaps Diane Abbott should take some advice from Emily Thornberry on how to give impressive interviews, let’s not forget how she managed to skewer Sir Michael Fallon on this sort of subject a few weeks ago.

Also, can I  apologise to anyone who followed my 100/1 tip earlier on this year on Diane Abbott being next Labour leader, what was I thinking? was I even thinking?

TSE