Brown reinforces his presence on the world stage

I’m sorry to do this to you, CoffeeHousers, at the start of a bank holiday weekend — but I thought you might have a morbid sort of interest in Gordon Brown’s latest role. Turns out that, as expected, our former PM is to join the World Economic Forum in an advisory capacity. He won’t be paid for his work, although the Forum will cover his staffing costs. One of his spokespeople has told ITV’s Alex Forrest that his task is to “stop the next financial crisis.” Which is to say, he’ll be saving the world. Again.

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If nothing else, it’s yet another demonstration of Brown’s peculiar resilience. Our former PM may be electoral anathema in these parts, but he clearly still holds some allure for the technocrats of Davos, Geneva and Bretton Woods. Even with David Cameron set against him, you wonder whether he might march on to the IMF anyway.