Hear me out – a £20m townhouse for diplomats is taxpayers’ money well spent

You can bet the Americans, Russians and Chinese don’t quibble over cost in the same way when it comes to the advancement of their interests abroad, writes Salma Shah

When it comes to international affairs, we mustn’t fall into the trap of believing that a hair shirt is proving something about our resilience (EPA)

According to a leaked memo from the Foreign Office, Liz Truss is considering a proposal to buy her diplomats a “party pad” in New York for £20m.

The idea that a beautiful townhouse would be used for ambassadors to swan about in is too much for some, who are rightly asking whether this is a good use of taxpayers’ money.

It is always infuriating to see the government’s poor spending at a time when people are worried about their bills and there are “apocalyptic” warnings coming from the Bank of England about food prices.