Sending Ian Botham to Australia is a disaster waiting to happen

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The cricket legend and peer is one of a series of UK trade envoy appointments (House of Lords/PA)

I find it inexplicable that Liz Truss, or presumably anyone in the Department for International Trade, did not realise the implications of sending Lord Botham to Australia as trade envoy. As soon as the ex-cricketer leaves the airport every news reporter, freelancer and wannabe reporter will be watching him closely, especially at night, waiting for some indiscretion big enough to adorn the front page. When it happens, this country and this government will once again be a laughing stock, and we won’t even be able to hide behind the “unintended consequences” law.

Robert Boston

Kingshill, Kent