The Government is facing pressure over the expected appointment of the former Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, to the Board of Trade, to help lead the UK’s new free trading mission post-Brexit in a similar way to which he championed free trade while Prime Minister of Australia. Left-wing news outlets have been hitting out at Abbott over old quotes and his Catholic faith. Guido thought he would balance the record with ten reasons to appoint Tony Abbott.

1. Tony Abbott won a landslide victory as the democratically elected Prime Minister of Australia.
2. The Abbott government concluded a major trade deal with China.
3. The Abbott government concluded a major trade deal with Japan.
4. The Abbott government concluded a major trade deal with South Korea.
5. The Abbott government worked on four further trade negotiations that were signed after his tenure as PM.
6. The Abbott government also successfully stopped the boats. In 2013 there were 300 illegal migrant boat arrivals on Australian shores, carrying over 20,000 people. By 2014 there were zero.
7. Despite media suggestions otherwise, Abbott is known to be kind and courteous to gay people. He attended his sister’s wedding to celebrate her marriage to her wife.
8. On LGBT rights, Julia Gillard’s government opposed same sex marriage when she was in office, whereas Abbott’s set in motion the legalisation for the plebiscite.
9. Similarly Abbott was praised by Catherine McGregor – the world’s most senior transgender military officer – for supporting her.
10. He reads Guido.

If this Government backs down this will be yet another U-turn for an administration increasingly seen as weak and doddering after a muddled summer. Boris should not buckle to media haranguing. Sticking to his guns and appointing Abbott, as Number 10 clearly planned to do, would start to turn the tide on the accusations of indecision.