Wednesday 15 November 2017

There are excellent replacements for the Foreign Secretary

Most of us who are agitating for Boris Johnson to be sacked are not using the issue as a means of unsettling the May government, as the Conservative-supporting sections of the media have alleged. We are genuinely concerned that the UK should be represented abroad by a responsible statesman who commands respect.

For me, the ideal Conservative replacement would be Alistair Burt who regularly displays his diplomatic qualities at the despatch box, and who has built up international respect through his work as a junior minister in the FO. However, one understands the obsession which party managers have with which way ministers voted in the EU referendum and Burt was a Remainer. Last night's re-showing of Middleland reminded us of the qualities of Rory Stewart, a Leaver and a strong defender of the military, but one who is attuned to the plight of oppressed people in the world.


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