Kate Hoey's tightrope to avoid explusion (otherwise known as the Hoe(k)y Cokey)

Kate Hoey, the Labour MP for Vauxhall, had agreed to turn up to a Boris Johnson campaign event at the Harriet Pickering ballet school in her constituency this morning, but pulled out at the last moment due to ill health. (Thanks to Rosa Prince for revealing this). Any suggestion she was backing a non Labour candidate would result in her explusion

Despite her protestations to the contrary, the ramifications of this -- at a time where party discipline appears to be faltering -- would have been large. I've just spoken to her (she sounded very croaky - I suspect the ill health claim is genuine - update: though she was lunching a guest in a Commons restaurant this lunchtime) and said she was supporting a gymnastics projects in her constituency and would have done the same had Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat candidate, asked to come down.

She said: "Boris told me that he was going to visit a gymnastics project run by Harriet Pickering. It's a project in the building supported by the London Development Agency that I referred to the police (this story, I think), but that's a different story. I said fine, I will come down because I support the project and would have done the same for Brian Paddick. I'm now not going (because of ill health) but would have popped along if I was well because I see no reason for not going if any mayoral candidate was due to visit. This is you lot (the media) wanting to have a story. What about Gordon Brown appointing non Labour Party members to the Cabinet (he hasn't - just to the government). Are we not supposed to speak to people from other parties?

Clearly Hoey has issues with Ken - why else would she report LDA projects to the police. Asked whether she was backing Ken Livingstone, she said: "I'm a Labour Party MP. What more do you want." Doesn't sound to me quite like a full throated endorsement, but she hasn't done enough to be kicked out. Watch this space, as someone called Angela once said.