Anneliese Dodds sported a dramatic new look for her appearance on the Marr Show last weekend. Her usual bedraggled appearance gave way to a sharp professional look, with dowdy dresses and straggly ginger locks nowhere to be seen. We know Boris Johnson recently had a haircut, but it was his girlfriend who did it - hardly a major transformation for a man who generally looks like he's just fell out of bed. Who worked their magic to transform Dodds? Is it another case of rules for thee, but not for me?
Clearly, the Shadow Chancellor has woken up to the fact that she has to at least make an effort if she is ever to be seen as a potential rival to the slick Rishi Sunak. According to a poll last month, non-entity Dodds is less popular among Labour voters than her Tory opponent.
It's a big week for her as she will have to provide Labour's response to the Budget, something that will undoubtedly entail criticism of any tax rises. Yes, it's probably not wise to hit workers in the pocket at the precise moment the economy needs to bounce back, but at some point a hike in taxation is inevitable. That is the reality of the huge black hole of debt our country is in - no thanks to Labour and other opposition parties for bolstering the government's disastrous policies in bringing about such levels of debt in the first place.