Even though he wasn’t quite prepared in the sartorial stakes for the visit of Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, George Osborne was ready to use the meeting between the two as another messaging moment. Following their discussions, the Chancellor has released this quote:
‘It’s clear that the standoff between Greece and the Eurozone is fast becoming the biggest risk to the global economy, and it’s a rising threat to our economy at home. In Europe as in Britain now is the time to choose competence over chaos. I urged the Greek finance minister to act responsibly, but it’s also important that the Eurozone has a better plan for jobs and growth. We have that plan in Britain and in these uncertain times, now is not the time to abandon that plan.’
There’s only one sentence there that really relates to what Osborne and Varoufakis discussed, which is that the Tory Chancellor urged responsible behaviour. But the rest is about the threat to the British economy of further instability in the eurozone. We’re back to the ‘warning lights’ on the dashboard of the global economy again.
Labour has steadfastly refused to use the result of the Greek elections to make political points about the forthcoming British election. But Osborne clearly sees that one of the most important elements of an important meeting about the future of the eurozone is the opportunity it gives him to talk about the need to back the Conservatives in May.
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