Daily Mail Columnist Gets Swift Smackdown From Labour Shadow Secretary She's Mocked Over Hobnobs

Labour's New Shadow Health Secretary Expertly Trolls Daily Mail's Sarah Vine
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LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Newly announced Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Health Heidi Alexander arrives at Parliament ahead of a debate over the Trade Union Bill on September 14, 2015 in London, England. Since being elected leader of the Labour Party on Saturday in a landslide election, Jeremy Corbyn has received criticism over the lack of women in senior positions his new shadow cabinet. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)mages)
Carl Court via Getty Images

Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine has been issued with a ruthless rebuke from Labour's new shadow health secretary, after a bitter exchange of blows over a controversial article that appeared on Wednesday.

Vine, husband of Tory Justice Secretary Michael Gove, penned a piece on new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's "comrades", slating many MPs who were promoted to the shadow cabinet this week.

In her feature, helpfully emblazoned with a red hammer and sickle, Vine lamented three women all promoted to top posts on his new frontbench team.

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Vine pictured with David Cameron's wife, Samantha Cameron

She sneered that new shadow Environment Secretary Kerry McCarthy was a vegan, smirked that Lucy Powell had been appointed to the education brief having not before met her party leader, and then rounded on Heidi Alexander MP.

Alexander replaced Labour leadership reject Andy Burnham on Monday, but was mocked by Vine for "looking like she needed to lay off the Hobnobs".

"Not all politicians have to live and breathe their brief, and people in glass houses (me) probably shouldn’t throw stones — but Heidi Alexander is not exactly the picture of health, is she?" Vine added.

But the Lewisham East MP hit back in expert trolling style, tweeting at the columnist: "Yes, I should lay off the Hobnobs, but am doing 5k on Saturday at 9am," tagging jogging group Hilly Fields park run. "Want to come?" she joshed.

Vine has yet to respond to the comment, but several other Twitter users have voiced their support of Alexander calling out her eating habbits being shamed.

The news comes just hours after Jeremy Corbyn tore up the rule-book at his first Prime Minister's Questions as Labour leader, ditching the "theatrical" flourishes that have been the hallmark for decades in an attempt to ensure politics is no longer "out of touch".

Drawing from 40,000 questions submitted by the general public, an unprecedented step, Mr Corbyn said he was bringing in a "new politics" as he named the six people who he was asking questions on behalf of: Marie, Stephen, Paul, Claire, Gail and Angela.