Clare Foges, the Downing Street poet

Clare Foges (Rex Features)

The accolades poured over that well-crafted speech that David Cameron delivered on Wednesday morning has revived interest in his speech writer, Clare Foges, whose varied career includes selling ice cream from a van, in Surrey, and running a Christian clothing company. The crucifix that featured in last week’s European Court ruling, which found that British Airways had discriminated against an employee who wanted to wear it to work, was reputedly designed by Clare Foges.

She is also a poet, whose 25 line poem ‘Bank Holiday’ took second prize in the 2011 MAG online competition. It has some interesting stanzas, which I am sure are not in any way directed at the Prime Minister. For example, there is this:

Panicking,
you conjured up kangaroos and in that moment
were not the sharp-shooter, goldfish winner,
but a man fumbling over his escape clauses,
hand fluttering to the pink spot on your crown

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• greggf

  “…. that well-crafted speech that David Cameron delivered on Wednesday morning….”

  True enough and all credit due; but can Cameron make any of it fact?
  I suspect someone else may.