Hague’s return

William Hague has had a good war. He began poorly, as the FCO struggled to evacuate Britons from Libya. But since then, the Foreign Secretary has showed deft diplomatic skill and leadership. The FCO has been focused on Libya and every able-bodied person has been drafted into duty, with diplomats now running the operation in No 10, and the Cabinet Office.

On the Today programme, the Foreign Secretary batted away the idea, much loved by realists and pessimists, that because Britain did not know, with forensic detail, how exactly the intervention would end, it should not have become involved.

There are many mountains still to climb. European governments need to be pressured into supporting the NATO mission; the rebels need to be helped (including militarily); and Colonel Ghaddafi’s wily manoeuvres need to be countered. But Hague, who came under so much criticism earlier in the year, looks like he has returned to form.