Six weeks after Alistair Burt resigned as Foreign Minister to rebel on Brexit, Theresa May has yet to appoint his replacement as Middle East minister. Not like it’s a region of key geopolitical importance or anything…

Now Burt has taken the extraordinary step of begging for his job back, telling Sam Coates:

“I fully accept the responsibility for my resignation lies with me and no-one else – I took a stand [over Brexit]. But the situation in the Middle East is such that the government must appoint someone to my old FCO role. I would dearly love to do it myself – although I recognise the delicacy of this and I accept the situation I’m in.”

Burt is a committed Remainer, though he was generally well-regarded as a competent and effective Middle East minister. He’s apparently recanted on the need to be outside government he claims because  the government has de facto moved in his direction. Surely they couldn’t take him back… could they?

UPDATE: Burt has not got his job back – the Government have finally announced that it’s gone to Andrew Murrison instead. Only 44 days without a Foreign Minister for one of the world’s most crucial regions…