Labour MP calls for ‘ministry of fabulosity’ which holds dance-offs between MPs

As the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell continues, candidate for Labour’s deputy leader role Rosena Allin-Khan has injected some humour into the debate.

The Tooting MP told ITV News on the Acting PM podcast that the hypothetical ministry would develop both serious policies and “lighter, more entertaining ones” too.

She said: “It’s a real thing, listen now. No nay-saying or giggling. It’s a real ministry. It will have to be domineered by fabulous MPs and come out with fabulous policies to shape the country.

“Some more serious ones but also some more lighter, more entertaining ones about how we see ourselves and some of the things that we can do as a nation to just put a bit of swing in our step.”

An example policy, she said, would be to have dance-offs between MPs as a form of debate.

“I think there is room for traditional political debate. And then sometimes there’s room for a dance-off. Because sometimes you need to know how your political representatives can represent themselves in real life. We all have a boogie.”

She said that she likes dance classes to relax as a politician. “I like shaking what my mamma gave me,” she said. “I do like singing, I’ve been in lots of bands.”

She then broke into a line from Alicia Keys’ ‘Girl on Fire’, setting a high bar for political entertainment for the rest of 2020.

Allin-Khan announced her candidacy on Tuesday, in a speech called for party unity and avoiding “nasty internal debates” in favour of a commitment to public service.

“We need to move beyond the last few years where nasty internal debates about faction and ideological purity have too often alienated people outside our movement,” she said.

“Public service isn’t about identifying who sits on which side of the Labour party. I am Labour because of my values, my life experiences and the fact that I’m a doctor. We must communicate how we are going to change people’s lives in a way they can understand.”

She is the third person to officially announce her candidacy, following fellow shadow cabinet members Richard Burgon and Angela Rayner.

Allin-Khan grabbed public attention during the general election by spoofing the infamous doorstep scene from Love, Actually, imploring a Conservative voter to change his mind in a video that went viral on Twitter.

The Tories then attempted to upstage her with their own version starring Boris Johnson.