Yellowfin Tune

Just before we move on from reparations, I think it’s worth reflecting on what the sorry saga suggests about Burnham’s foreign policy approach. In Boris, Cameron and Blair we have had previous Prime Ministers supremely confident in their own charm and ability to carry British diplomacy through their personal touch. But in our present PM we appear to have someone who combines limitless self-confidence with a real lack of diplomatic nous. We know Burnham is a people pleaser. That can be a flaw if it means you fail to confront difficult trade offs domestically. And it can be ruinous in a foreign policy context. He seemed to think that he could emote and genuflect in front of the assembled Commonwealth leaders, and, well, that would be the end of the matter. He seems to have imagined that foreign governments would be so moved by his moral sensitivity that they would forget all about asking for money. A PM needs to be bullish about standing up for this country on the world stage. That will often involve playing hard ball and ultimately foreign governments respect that strength. Burnham I fear is going to instead prioritise winning brownie points among bleeding-heart North London liberals, and trying to play some sort of enlightened elder statesman on the international stage. Not encouraging More in my piece for @TheCriticMag: thecritic.co.uk/we-will-pay-…

It has always been a choice, even if this Labour government have been so determined to portray it as a necessity. Binning the self-inflicted harm of the Chagos deal is the most obvious open goal in British politics. Let’s see if he does it