Hackney and the Telegraph?

Diane Abbott on all-women short lists in the Telegraph: "Miss Abbott, who is black, observed that they are not working quite as she had hoped, for as far as she can see they have become "all-white-women shortlists" owing to "a slight class bias" in the women who present themselves for election." (Meg Hillier, meanwhile, has just had a baby.)

Another Telegraph columnist thinks: "Jobs advertised in yesterday's Guardian for, among others, a "democratic services officer" in Hackney, or a "customer experience manager" for the Department of Work and Pensions give an indication of the care, and the ease, with which public money is spent."

Hackney borough commander moves to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, a replacement has not yet been found - according to the Hackney Gazette: "During his time in charge, gun crime has fallen by 37 per cent and knife crime by 17 per cent, above the Met average." Does that mean we should expect things to get worse now he's gone?