David Lammy recently told a radio interviewer he had “a powerful sense that I’m the right guy in the right job at the right time to do this”, as foreign secretary.
Those who travelled with him observed a man in his element, whether in the frozen wastes of Svalbard or the corridors of power. He confided that he expected to stay in the job for the duration of this parliament.
So much for all that.
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While opinions differ on how good he was at his job, he certainly revelled in it and threw himself into the role.
He is making way for someone who has never held an international affairs posting in government. Yvette Cooper’s experience in power goes back to the Blair years, but it’s always been on the home front.
And yet this rookie diplomat could not be taking up the reins as Britain’s foreign secretary at a more challenging time.
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The war in Ukraine has mutated into something even more challenging than the biggest land war on the continent of Europe since the Second World War. It is turning into a monumental struggle between East and West.
Vladimir Putin is resurgent, striding the world stage again, and this week winning more support from China and North Korea.
The West seems divided between Europeans who want a ceasefire and more severe sanctions on Russia’s oil trade and Donald Trump, who doesn’t anymore but seems at a loss over what to do instead.
Gaza is sinking into even more of a horror show with no let-up in the war, and accusations that the Labour government is conniving in an alleged genocide perpetrated by Israel.
On top of the diary entries Yvette Cooper will be handed as she takes up her new job will be the UN General Assembly in New York, where Britain is expected to recognise the state of Palestine along with other nations.
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If the Home Office is known for being strewn with banana skins, the Foreign Office is rigged with minefields.
Foremost among them, the Middle East and the Starmer government’s attempts to walk a perilous tightrope between friends of Israel and supporters of the Palestinians.
David Lammy was criticised by some for not being firm enough or decisive. In his defence, he had not been in the job that long, and he avoided any massive missteps.
He thought deeply about his role and seemed adept at managing the Trump administration. Not bad for someone who once called Donald Trump a “neo nazi sociopath”. He managed to maintain good relations with both Barack Obama and JD Vance.
Yvette Cooper has a reputation for straight talking, not always helpful in diplomacy. But she is regarded as intellectually rigorous, preferring substance over style.
She will need to be a quick learner as she tries to master her brief in a world that is only becoming more dangerous and more complicated.
