Sir Digby Jones, like me a graduate of UCL, has (unlike me) become a Labour Minister. The odd thing is that, like me, Digby is widely known amongst his friends to be a Tory.
So why has he taken an oath of office?
The short answer is that he is an ambitious man who wants to be seen to have made a difference. Nothing wrong with that, maybe. He has also managed to do so without entirely abandoning his free-market, Conservative instincts by insisting that he will not take the Labour whip.
The question, remains though, how will this work in practise? The answer appears to be that it will be complicated. Will Digby attempt to answer questions on government policy during the press conferences that will be a key part of his job, all over the world. Similarly, will the businessmen to whom he is trying to promote the UK have faith that his word can be trusted. After all, when he talks about the UK’s commitment to a new market, will people believe that he is really “in the loop” on the the latest intentions.
Time will tell whether this was a deft move or a daft one. If it does not work out for him in the Labour Party, I am sure he would be more at home with the Conservatives.
