Williamson channels Private Pike to give Putin the hard word | John Crace

It takes a fireplace salesman to know the difference between a cold war and a chilly one

Dean Godson, the director of the thinktank Policy Exchange, stepped out into the middle of the Horizon Hall at the Rolls-Royce aerospace factory to introduce his guest speaker. “The nation,” he began, before hastily correcting himself. “The world thanks you for coming here to give your first keynote speech.”

The world blinked a little. At least the handful of military personnel and hacks who had made the trip to Bristol to hear Gavin Williamson did. They hadn’t realised it was going to be such a massive deal that the whole world would be listening. Granted the timing, coming just over a week after the chemical attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, gave the event an added edge. But even so. It was still only a Gavin Williamson speech. A man who, before he recommended himself for promotion to defence secretary after the resignation of Michael Fallon late last year, was best known as the keeper of a spider in his role as chief whip, and a fireplace salesman.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2GwuzZ7