Britain’s visible presence around the world is being steadily downgraded – a process that started with Brexit and has been intensified since Labour came into office.

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Leaving the EU disconnected the UK from regular contacts with other member states at regular meetings, as well as from being part of the EU presence in diplomatic posts around the world. It also reduced the value to the USA of the UK’s presence as a major member of the EU.

Then in 2020 Boris Johnson scrapped the UK Department for International Development, which had been a world leader in delivering poverty reduction and humanitarian relief around the world.

Having promised not to scrap DFID, he followed it with another broken promise and cut UK aid from the UN delivery of 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income to 0.5 per cent.

This caused disruption and demoralisation, and many left the service altogether.

After Boris left the stage, there was a slight hiatus when Rishi Sunak, no great supporter of UK aid, nevertheless brought back David Cameron as Foreign Secretary and Andrew Mitchell as Development Minister.

As we headed towards the election and an anticipated change of Government, there was optimism........

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