As was obvious during his dismal spell as foreign secretary, Mr Johnson is no grand strategist. Mr Johnson intends an early European tour if, as is likely, he wins the ballot for the Conservative leadership. As for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, “Why isn’t he called Murphy like all the rest of them”. Unsurprisingly, Mr Johnson has been lobbying hard behind the scenes for an early invitation to Washington. So he might well be inclined to offer Mr Johnson a “quick win”.

Source: The Irish Times July 18, 2019 15:51 UTC