In Pictures: Tearful politicians showing their sensitive side
She is far from the first politician to show her emotions by shedding tears though.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some other examples over the years of politicians becoming tearful:
– Theresa May
Theresa May's tenure as prime minister was dominated by Brexit. The former home secretary had the unenviable task of bringing the country back together after a divisive referendum and negotiating the UK's exit from the European Union as she succeeded David Cameron in 2016.
Mrs May ultimately failed to deliver the latter of those goals and the toll that responsibility had taken on her during her time in No 10 perhaps showed as she delivered her resignation speech outside Downing Street in May 2019.
– Margaret Thatcher
Known as the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher portrayed strength during her 11-year reign as prime minister.
However, she too, showed a more human side when she broke down in tears as she said goodbye to Downing Street in 1990.
– George Osborne
George Osborne wept as he attended Baroness Thatcher's funeral in 2013.
Mr Osborne, who was chancellor at the time, was moved to tears during a sermon by then Bishop of London Lord Chartres.
– Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock raised eyebrows as he appeared to wipe away a tear during a live appearance on Good Morning Britain as he reacted to news that a man called William Shakespeare had become the second person in the UK to receive a Covid vaccine.
'It's been such a tough year for so many people,' the then health secretary told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in December 2020.
– Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown wept when he opened up about the death of his daughter Jennifer during a TV interview in 2010.
The then prime minister's eyes filled with tears as he told Piers Morgan he knew that his newborn daughter was not going to survive.
She died in 2002 aged just 10 days after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
– Cherie Blair
Cherie Blair broke down in tears in 2002 as she tried to explain away the controversy surrounding convicted fraudster Peter Foster's role in buying two flats for herself and her then prime minister husband Tony Blair.
'I know I'm in a very special position, I'm the wife of the Prime Minister, I have an interesting job and a wonderful family, but I also know I am not Superwoman,' she tearfully said in a statement to the press.
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Mr Leishman is full of praise for the pair, but insisted he is a 'proud' Labour Party member. "I've got an enormous amount of respect for them both,' he said. 'What I would say is, my first reaction is that it's very sad that there's not room in the Labour Party for Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. Jeremy Corbyn, MP and former Labour leader, will be speaking on social justice in a show called In Conversation with Jeremy Corbyn. | Getty Images "Jeremy has dedicated his life to the Labour movement, and to the protection and the advancement of the working class, not just in this country, but he's been fantastic on foreign issues as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "I would say that Zarah has been a phenomenal member of Parliament. She is an absolute whirlwind, a driving force, again, for working-class communities. "She's a credit to the Labour movement, and it's very, very sad that the pair of them are not in the Labour Party. I think there should always be room for people like Jeremy and Zarah in the Labour Party. "In regard to joining another party, it's not entered my head. I'm a Labour Party member. I'm a proud Labour Party member." He said there needed to be more internal democracy and "tolerance" for different views within the party. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pushed on whether he had been approached about a new left-wing party, Mr Leishman said: "I've not had anyone approach me. There's been no discussion about me joining any other political party." On a Labour collision course Welfare reform is far from the only issue to put him on a collision course with the Labour leadership. Earlier this year, he said he was "disgusted" by his party's broken promises on the Grangemouth oil refinery, which ceased processing crude oil in April. He has also backed the Waspi [Women Against State Pension Inequality] women in their fight for compensation. But Mr Leishman said the UK Labour government has also done some "fantastic" things, pointing to examples such as boosting workers' rights. "Those things, they're terrific,' he said. 'I just want to see more of them." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He is critical of his party for 'aping' the language of Nigel Farage's Reform UK, and highlighted Sir Keir's speech about immigration in May in which he said the UK risked becoming "an island of strangers". Mr Leishman said: "When it comes to 'island of strangers' and comments like that, he admits he was wrong on that, and that's quite right, because you know what, I find that language pretty appalling to be honest. We should not be aping Reform." He said Labour should instead set out exactly what it stands for. "We've got to say, this is who we are, this is what we believe in, this is what we stand for, and take people on that,' he said. 'That's strong leadership, for me. "That's got to come from the top in both Scottish Labour, but also down in Westminster as well. We've got to nail our colours to the mast and say this is who we are, this is what we are, this is what we believe, and give people that choice.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Leishman said Labour amplifies Reform 'far too much', adding: 'When I go to Prime Minister's Questions, the amount of times that 'the honourable member for Clacton' [Mr Farage] gets mentioned in a derogatory manner, he sits and laughs." He continued: "How much airtime do they [Reform] get for five MPs? An incredible amount. We amplify that by mentioning them. "Now, what we need to do is instead of trying to paint somebody else as some sort of bogeyman, how about actually let's just try and improve things ourselves. "Let's concentrate on ourselves. Let's get our house in order and let's actually positively change society, instead of pointing the finger at anybody else." 'Very concerned' for Scottish Labour Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Leishman said he was "very concerned" that Scottish Labour could be heading for defeat at next year's Holyrood election. "We've got to be awake, and we've got to be alert and alive to Reform, but let's concentrate on ourselves,' he said. 'Let's get our own house in order and let's actually deliver a proper change for people." Asked if he is satisfied with Mr Sarwar's leadership of Scottish Labour, Mr Leishman pauses for a couple of seconds before giving the answer quoted above about the UK government damaging and weakening his position. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Cherie Blair share a platform at the Scotland 2050 conference in Edinburgh (Picture: Andrew Milligan) | PA But he is also critical of some of the Scottish party's messaging. "What I would be saying is, let's talk less about quangos,' he said. 'Because in all the years that I've been out door-knocking and knocked thousands of doors, how many times do you think the word quango has come up on the doorstep? Zero." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Sarwar has promised to 'strip back the number of quangos', arguing there are too many public bodies in Scotland. Mr Leishman said the focus needs to be on 'big ticket' issues, such as the NHS and public services.
