A Nato summit in Washington in week one, a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) on home soil in week two — Sir Keir Starmer is enjoying a fast start on the international stage.
The EPC provides an opportunity for Sir Keir not only to reset relations with our European partners, but to begin the process of cutting deals. High on the list of priorities will be securing a new agreement with French president Emmanuel Macron on sending migrants who arrive in Britain by small boats back to France. In return, the UK would accept a certain number of asylum seekers from Europe.
Other vital discussions will focus on European security, in particular the situation in Ukraine. Much more may soon fall on Britain and others to support Kyiv, should Donald Trump return to the White House and US aid be drastically reduced.
Blenheim Palace — which is hosting today’s summit — is an apt location for such a meeting, built as a gift to the Duke of Marlborough in thanks for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession. But perhaps one to keep quiet about.
Lessons of the pandemic
That the pandemic already seems like a lifetime ago is all the more reason to learn its lessons. And the Covid Inquiry’s first report is a vital staging post in that process. The report concludes that ministers and officials failed to prepare properly for a pandemic of this nature, leaving Britain vulnerable to an outbreak which led to the deaths of more than 235,000 people by the end of 2023.
At root, at least initially, was the decision made by the previous government to focus on preparations for an influenza pandemic. This left the UK badly exposed when faced with a coronavirus in early 2020. Further issues which hampered our response include the failure to secure adequate personal protective equipment before the pandemic, as well as the state of the National Health Service.
Britain was not alone in this. But while the loved ones lost cannot be brought back to life, the Government can and must learn the lessons to ensure that when the next pandemic comes — and it will come — we are better prepared.
Gastropub crawl
It is still possible in London to find pubs serving below-par pie and mash or partially defrosted burgers. But more and more, we are living in the era of the gastropub. In that vein, The Standard’s Going Out team has compiled its list of the best 50 gastropubs in the capital. A strenuous research task, but someone had to do it.
