Dr Jonathan Punt wonders what faith can we have in her judgment when it comes to striking international trade deals; Michael Pyke recommends Aldi’s Albariño; and Alan Lane questions the plan to ‘level up’
I was interested to see the prices paid by Liz Truss at a luncheon “event” at 5 Hertford Street (Liz Truss asked for public money to cover £3,000 lunch, 2 January). As of 4 January, independent wine merchants were offering Coudoulet de Beaucastel rouge at £19.99 to £22.23 per 75cl bottle, and Pazo Barrantes Albariño at £17.50 to £18.33, compared with Ms Truss’s expenditure of £130 for two bottles of the former and £153 for three of the latter – out of the public purse.
The proprietor of the establishment concerned was a donor to Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign and is related to a Conservative life peer and current minister. What faith can we have in Ms Truss’s judgment in her role as foreign secretary when it comes to striking international trade deals? Should she become prime minister, will public money continue to flow at exorbitant rates to cronies? Would Ms Truss benefit from a crash course in restaurant wine price inflation?
Dr Jonathan Punt
London
