Swings and roundabouts as far as Britain’s role in the world goes this week. On the one hand, there is a lack of clarity in Philip Hammond’s budget as to future Foreign Office funding, though a loss of at least 8% of baseline funding for 2019/20 seems certain. On the other hand, cinema’s Liz Hurley has been flying the flag as guest of honour at the Cairo film festival.
According to local reports, the Passenger 57 legend couldn’t hang around after her headline appearance on the red carpet, but apparently expressed her desire to stay in Cairo longer. God, yes – if she didn’t have to get on the first plane out, she’d have loved to have lingered – maybe even hung around for the Arab League summit. Next time, maybe. At least there was time for her to make a speech, after the Egyptian culture minister introduced her with the words: “Welcome to the bedazzled queen.” (Bedazzled! A reminder of the sheer length and strength of the Hurley canon.)
Arguably, this was Liz’s highest-level international bilateral since she was photographed a few years ago with cuddly Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. In fact, might she not be the elegant solution the Foreign Office is looking for in straitened times? After all, Liz was an ardent Brexiter, no one more than she would want this whole Global Britain to work out.
Why not deploy her as an FO asset? I’ve no idea whether she’d be classified an Arabist, an Atlanticist or an Asian (though I do know you don’t want to ask her to attempt any of the accents). But in our brave new world, does such clarity even matter?
