Hazel Blears to replace Diane Abbott on This Week

'Do fucking what?', I hear you cry.  Hazel Blears (who resigned her cabinet minister's post last year embroiled in an expenses scandal and then had the gall to stand for re-election) is to replace Diane Abbott as Michael Portillo's bitching partner on the BBC's 'This Week'.

Ms Abbott announced last week that she intended to join the contest for the Labour party's leadership. The BBC was concerned that her continued appearance as a pundit would breach its editorial independence guidelines.  Abbott is a regular on the show alongside host Andrew Neil and fellow pundit Michael Portillo, the former Tory minister, with whom she has formed a popular double act on the This Week sofa.  She told the Guardian today: "They told me I can [continue on the show] and it appears they've backed off. I find it very strange."

Fandabidozi

Blears is a former Labour party chair and communities secretary, a role which she left last year for "personal reasons". The Telegraph claimed she quit partly because of the revelation that she had not paid capital gains tax on the sale of two properties. She was returned as MP for Salford earlier this month, having been first elected to parliament in 1997.

A BBC spokesperson said: "For the sake of fairness to all the candidates for the Labour party leadership, while Diane is a candidate she won't be making her usual appearance on the This Week sofa."  

Yes, but Hazel Blears?!