Westminster is buzzing. Not about another backbench revolt, but about a crisis far from the M25. A 7.
3 magnitude earthquake has shattered Venezuela's coastal region. The death toll is climbing. But here's the story the Lobby is whispering about: the UK's field hospital, deployed within 72 hours, is being hailed as a 'mechanical marvel'.
Sources on the ground tell me it's handling panic attacks, fractures, crush injuries. The efficiency is drawing quiet comparisons to the NHS's own struggles. A Defence Source said, 'It's a reminder of what we can do when the system isn't tangled in red tape.
' Labour MPs are uneasy. The PM's approval rating might get a temporary bump. But longer term?
The contrast with waiting lists at home is uncomfortable. One backbencher muttered to me, 'They can do this in a disaster zone but the NHS can't get me a hip replacement.' The government will try to spin this as soft power success.
But the smart money knows: domestic politics will soon reclaim the narrative. Watch the polling in marginals. This could be a double-edged sword.
