The modestly-named Diane Abbott Foundation, an educational charity set up last year by the Labour shadow cabinet minister is facing possible fines and prosecution after it failed to file its annual return when due on January 3.. This is a criminal offence which could land Ms Abbott and her three co-directors with a £5,000 fine each, a criminal record and disqualification from running a company. Abbott’s charity is also seven months overdue in filing its annual accounts, which will cost it a £1,500 fine.

The educational charity has come in for some ridicule since Abbott sent her son to a private school and had unwisely criticised others for doing the same thing. The above has also drawn ridicule from Tory MPs for Abbott on the basis that, with this track record of financial management she wants to be in charge of the UK’s £12 billion foreign aid budget.