What Brexit bogeyman's return means for policy

Without attracting a huge amount of media attention, two highly significant developments have taken place in British foreign policy.

- SEAN O'GRADY

David Lammy, seemingly enjoying himself and secure in his role (there were once rumours about him making way for David Miliband or Douglas Alexander), has gone so far as to implement a new doctrine – “progressive realism” – in a keynote mission speech to his staff.

He has also picked a new chief civil servant for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO): Olly Robbins. Robbins will run the department, despite his odd formal title of “permanent under secretary of state”. The pair have their work cut out.

Olly Robbins. Name ring a bell?

Robbins is best remembered as the man Theresa May chose to be her chief Brexit negotiator during those anguished postreferendum years. A dedicated public servant possessed of a fine mind, Robbins did his best to make May’s Chequers plan acceptable to both the cabinet (as proxy for the divided Tory party) and the European Commission.