Spelling check

ANDREW Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, is the latest minister or other important visitor to Downing Street to reveal a page of his official briefing papers to the ever present cameras waiting outside. The document is marked “Protect - Policy” but Mr Mitchell failed to do what was required of him and as a result the world now knows Britain's official view that Afghanistan's political prospects will be “improved significantly” by Hamid Karzai's recent announcement that he will not stand for a third term of office. There is nothing new in Britain's difficulties with Mr Karzai but relations with him will hardly be improved during the three years that remain of his presidency by this public slip.

There is another embarrassment arising from this incident. An enlargement of part of the page shows that either Mr Mitchell or one of the civil servants in his private office is not at ease with the English language. One sentence reads: “Note that Karsai has publically stated his intention to step down...” There is no such word as “publically”; presumably what Mr Mitchell or his staff had in mind was “publicly”. Given his worries about grammar standards, perhaps the Education Secretary Michael Gove should raise this matter at the next Cabinet meeting.