Chasing some sympathetic headlines in a bid to redeem her reputation, Diane Abbott has stormed out of cross party talks about abortion counselling:

“Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said she had walked out of a new cross-party abortion group set up by the Government to look at the issue of counselling following the defeat. She accused the Government of “ploughing ahead” with the controversial abortion changes, saying the new group was a “front” for pushing through the plans which were “unwanted, undemocratic and unsubstantiated with evidence”.

Department of Health sources say they have no real view on the issue and no decision has  been made, hence the point of the cross party committee. They will take the recommendations of the group and see if the public agree. Others are slightly more confused by Abbott’s outburst.

Given that she fell asleep in the first meeting of the group, was half an hour late for the second and didn’t turn up to the third, those that did make it have been left scratching their heads about what exactly she is talking about.

Another day, another Abbott mess…