With the patronising, misspelled backing of David Miliband and Jack Straw it seems Diane Abbott has scrapped on to the ballot. With the prospect of live TV debates and her tendency to tell it how she sees it, the dread of a long dull summer with four men bickering is fading away.

So frightened were Labour of a backlash from their members  if someone female was not on the ballot that Guido hears they turned a blind eye for ten minutes or so while the final paper work was completed. Insert one rule for them joke here.