Tory rising star challenges Boris Johnson’s foreign policy strategy and urges for ‘cool headed approach'

A rising star in the Conservative party has challenged Boris Johnson’s foreign policy strategy urging for Britain to adopt a “cool headed” approach and suggested humour does not translate internationally.

Tom Tugendhat, the new chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Commons, which is tasked with scrutinising the work of Mr Johnson and his department, also said it would be “great” to be Prime Minister or Foreign Secretary in a frank interview.

Referring to Mr Johnson, the Conservative MP for Tunbridge and Malling told the House magazine: “He’s certainly go a lot of passion for the United Kingdom and has a way of expressing himself which certainly carries a lot of noise.”

But he continued: “There are many people who don't understand quite how difficult it is to translate humour, because humour is fundamentally cultural. It is really, really hard to do cross-cultural humour.

“I just think at the moment, when what we really need is a very, very cool headed, stern and strategic look at our foreign policy and our alliance, what we need is a very, very cool and considered approach to our foreign strategy.”

“I think there are ways of doing diplomacy. I've done it in Afghanistan, in Iraq and Saudi (Arabia) and across parts of Africa and most of the Middle East, and I just think that it's very, very hard to make humour work in international environments, which is why very few serious politicians try it.”

During the interview Mr Tugendhat – touted as a rising star within Conservative circles after being elected two the influential Commons committee two years into his career – was also pressed on his future ambitions in politics.

While he said it is a “huge privilege” to be server as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, he added: “Would it be great to be PM? Yep, it would be. Would it be great to be Foreign Secretary? Fantastic. Would it be great to be Defence Secretary? Wonderful.

Mr Tugendhat added that Britain should put its values ahead of “raw economics” when it comes to dealing with overseas regimes. Despite the interview being conducted last week it is a clear rejection of comments made by Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, earlier this week at a select committee.

Sir Michael was widely condemned by charities and politicians for suggesting that criticism in Parliament of the Saudi regime is jeopardising the UK’s ability to sell Eurofighter Typhoon jets to the Middle Eastern country.

But Tugendhat said: “The fundamental underpinning of our economy is the value that people place on Britain as a fair place to do business, on British law and values being fair, whether that be accountancy, whether that be legal services, whether that be finance.

”Therefore, we've got to be careful when we make foreign policy that we recognise that we've got to defend those values abroad above simple raw economics in a very blunt system.

“Employment matters in the UK, of course it does, and we certainly shouldn't conduct foreign policy that damages our ability to promote economic growth in the UK.”