The Foreign Office is often called the grandest of all Whitehall’s ministries – so it’s just a shame then that so few mandarins appear to enjoy it. New figures unearthed by Mr S show that less than half its staff were working in King Charles Street at the beginning of this month, despite much talk about getting ‘back to the office’. And even last week, as the Gaza crisis raged, numbers working in the HQ building rose to just 56 per cent of staff. Hardly ‘Action this day’…

But one person who the Foreign Office was prepared to welcome was Erkin Tuniyaz, the governor of the Chinese region of Xinjiang, where ongoing human rights abuses are well-documented. Back in February he was due to come to London, though not at the invitation of the FCDO. However, internal correspondence obtained by Mr S shows one civil servant quoting Anne-Marie Trevelyan as saying that ‘an official level meeting is a good idea.’ Such a good idea in fact, that when news of the meeting leaked, an outcry ensued, with Tuniyaz subsequently cancelling his planned trip following a backlash.

Let’s hope that those who are in the office have a better feel for the limits of diplomacy eh…