Snowmail: Barack Obama leaves London

Last Modified: 26 Jul 2008
By: Carl Dinnen

On tonight's show...

Carl Dinnen here with a gander at what Channel Four News has to offer at 6.40pm.

Barack Obama has left the country. We can all calm down again. Has there ever been such excitement surrounding the visit of a US Senator before? Can you imagine what we'd all do if he got elected and came as President?

Actually he answered that himself; "You're always more popular before you're actually in charge", he said in Downing Street, mindful of his host's current difficulties. His visit to London was a little more restrained than the stopovers in Berlin and Paris.

Gordon Brown met him in the foyer of Downing Street - as he had John McCain - not out front; protocol demands that the greetings are of equal stature for each candidate. But not much else was the same. Can you remember Senator McCain's visit? Neither can I. Gordon Brown has left for his holidays. Meeting Senator Obama will perhaps give him something pleasant to dwell on in sunny Southwold. Not for him Cliff's villa or Silvio's palazzo. Scotland probably doesn't seem too welcoming at the moment either. So it's off to Suffolk.

He leaves behind a Westminster awash with rumour and speculation about his future. Whilst here Barack Obama met Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron in that order and Labour backbenchers are acutely aware that that's now looking like a future list of 21st Century British Prime Ministers. Emily Reuben will be joining me with news of Andy Murray's latest victory and the latest from the Tour de France. Oh and there's been some debate in the newsroom about how, or whether, to mark Mick Jagger's 65th birthday. You'll see what we've decided at 6.40. Until then, Carl