In the last six months, Liam Fox has been on a whistle-stop tour of authoritarian regimes.

But as potential havoc draws near, May’s government seems to have its attention elsewhere. Burdened by their deliberations with Europe, key cabinet ministers are instead trying to woo support from Britain’s former colonies.

Commonwealth leaders intend to hold to the guiding principle of equality among the members of the 53-nation club.

It is increasingly evident that leaving the European Union — the world’s richest single market — was a monumental act of self-harm for the UK. African countries should take heed and cooperate to ensure the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

World View: Suggestion that likes of US, Australia offer alternative to EU is fantasy. / If the success of a political idea turns on its power to instil hope or optimism in its adherents, then, in its early years, Brexit was a colossal failure.

Having cut Britain adrift of Europe, Brexiters are indulging in an old fantasy about a new national role in the world—as the hub of a far-flung Anglosphere.