Victoria Coren Mitchell launched a scathing attack on the candidates in the upcoming General Election . To be exact, she branded the whole thing ‘incompetently done’ and ‘pitiful.’ The writer and presenter, 51, hosted Have I Got News For You to give her take on the first full week of election campaigning, marking her 19th time taking charge of proceedings.
Meanwhile, making her debut on the panel was Sky News presenter and political correspondent Sophy Ridge, who joined comedian Chris McCausland, alongside team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton. Following last week’s election announcement by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, this week marked the first full week of campaigning up and down the country for the major political parties. This included a plethora of new policy announcements, further defections and resignations, and internal debates about candidate selection.
Of course, one of the biggest stories to rumble on this week was the Labour row over Diane Abbott, and whether she would be allowed to run as the party’s candidate in Hackney, following her suspension from the party last April. Earlier in the week, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that no decision had been taken to bar her, but Sky News’ Ridge confirmed on the panel that she had heard directly from Abbott that she’d been blocked from standing as a Labour MP. However, after days of speculation, Sir Keir finally clarified on Friday afternoon that Abbott was ‘free to go forward as a Labour candidat.
