Westminster's long gamble on foreign aid is paying dividends in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A British-led Ebola containment mission is drawing quiet praise from Whitehall insiders who, for once, are not bracing for a scandal.
The operation, spearheaded by the UK’s Public Health Rapid Support Team, has seen over 200 British health workers deployed since the outbreak was declared in April. Not a single infection among them. That fact is being circulated in ministerial briefings as a rare success story.
No heroics. No ministerial photo ops. Just a textbook show of logistic discipline. The virus is contained within a tight cordon sanitaire in North Kivu province. Local cooperation, they say, has been key. Whisper it: this is the kind of quiet competence that rarely makes headlines.
But in the Lobby, we are watching. The shadow of the 2014 West African disaster still looms. Back then, British doctors died. This time, the government points to a year of pre-deployment training. An investment in bio-security that, for once, appears to have paid off.
Donors are happy. The WHO is singing praises. Yet the real test is whether this translates into political capital. Number 10 is keen to claim a win for global Britain. But the Treasury is watching the price tag. And the backbenches? They are restless. Small state ideologues hate aid spending. They will need careful handling.
So here is the score. The mission works. The politics are fragile. And the next outbreak is always just around the corner. For now, we mark a small victory in a long, grinding fight.
