Diplomacy must sometimes be conducted publicly but the art of managing international relations is more often better served in private.
The Prime Minister was reminded of this today as the French withdrew their invitation to Priti Patel for a key summit in Calais this weekend.
Representatives not only from France but also Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the European Commission are set to meet to discuss the migrant crisis following the death of 27 people in the Channel on Wednesday. Britain will now be excluded.
Whether Boris Johnson’s open letter to President Emmanuel Macron was a misjudgment or, as some have speculated, a deliberate act of provocation, the outcome is poor. And it will not help desperate migrants, buffeted by people smugglers and risking their lives at sea.
It is also disappointing that the French appear unable to rise above petty politics by allowing our Home Secretary to take a place at the table, given the gravity of the issue.
Ultimately, all sides know that this crisis will only be solved by collaboration and communication between nations.
Black Friday
There is never a “good” time for a Tube strike. But on Black Friday, in the run-up to Christmas and as the London economy is coming back to life following lockdowns, it could scarcely be worse. This is of course deliberate.
The RMT is seeking to cause as much disruption for commuters and pain to businesses as it can, in opposition to new shift patterns relating to the reopening of the Night Tube.
Londoners should not have to put up with transport chaos in their city. This strike feels like a selfish and retrograde act at a time when the focus should be on our economic recovery and safeguarding TfL’s finances so that we have a transport network fit for the 21st century.
