You’d need to have a heart of stone not to feel a sliver of compassion for the home secretary. Just a fortnight ago James Cleverly was living his best life. Flying around the world by private jet – or, if he had to slum it, business class – in search of photos of himself with world leaders in his capacity as foreign secretary. Keepsakes to boast to the kids about when he was out of a job in a year’s time.
It was the ideal job. Because literally all that was expected of him was to be able to smile and not be rude to anyone. There was no pressure on him to resolve any of the world’s crisis points, because that was never part of the job description. Neither Israel nor Hamas wait to take their cues from the UK. Likewise Russia and Ukraine.
