Heidi Alexander invites Sarah Vine for a run after columnist suggests shadow health secretary 'needs to lay off the Hobnobs'

Vine criticised Corbyn for choosing Alexander for health

(PA)

Heidi Alexander has invited Sarah Vine for a run after the Daily Mail columnist made disparaging comments about her appearance.

Vine questioned Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to appoint Alexander to shadow health secretary by suggesting the MP for Lewisham East “looks like she needs to lay off the Hobnobs”.

Her piece published on Wednesday reads: “Jeremy Corbyn has appointed a vegan to look after farmers, a woman he’s never met to Shadow Education and someone who looks like she needs to lay off the Hobnobs to Health.

“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?”

Alexander addressed Vine’s comments by suggesting she join her on a five kilometre run at the weekend.

Alexander previously campaigned against proposals to close a busy A&E department in Lewisham, London, before being selected for her new role by Corbyn.

The Labour leader has refused to answer negative criticism or attacks in the media and from the opposition and urged his supporters not to respond ahead of his leadership success, telling an audience at a recent rally: "We don't do that kind of politics.”

Vine was criticised last week for comparing feminists to Nazis in a column discussing a female lawyer’s decision to publicise sexist behaviour on a professional networking site.