Nigel Fletcher is Director of the recently formed Opposition Studies Forum. He is a councillor in the London Borough of Greenwich, and a former Special Adviser in the Conservative Research Department. Here he considers how previous Leaders of the Opposition have fared in their dealings with US Presidents.
Amid the Obama-mania of yesterday, the US President’s half-hour meeting with David Cameron was but one engagement in a very busy day. But its significance has certainly been noted in Westminster and Whitehall. Mr Cameron’s staff were at pains last week to play down expectations of such a meeting, correctly pointing out that as an inter-Governmental visit, it would not be usual for Opposition politicians to play a role. Only on State Visits is it customary for the visiting Head of State to meet the Leader of the Opposition and the Liberal Democrat leader (as the latter has reportedly pointed out in frustration).
So the invitation for Mr Cameron to meet President Obama was quite a coup. Even a quick handshake between the two would have been notable, but the White House went out of its way to boost the Conservative leader’s status. Announcing the meeting to the Washington press corps last week, Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough put him in esteemed company:
Such a seal of approval from the White House is a prize many previous Leaders of the Opposition have sought over the years, with varying degrees of success. Whilst the fluctuating relationship of the tenants of Downing Street and the White House has been the subject of much psycho- analysis over the years, there is an equally fascinating but largely untold story about the relationship between British opposition leaders and the American President.
Recent Comments