A ticket to ride for our new unheard-of man in Europe

“Who is Lord Hill?” continues to echo through the parliaments of Europe — but I’m pleased to say David Cameron is doing his utmost to address the problem. Jonathan Hill was the surprise announcement yesterday as our Commissioner to Europe, moving on from being Leader of the Lords.

But so low profile is the former lobbyist and political apparatchik that the current Commissioner for Education, the Cypriot Androulla Vassiliou, thought her deputy, also called Jonathan Hill, had been promoted — and tweeted to this effect before realising her mistake.

Now The Londoner hears Mr Cameron has found a solution: buy him a train ticket to Brussels today. Lord Hill had been expected to head to the heart of the EU later this year but the PM has asked him to accompany him to Brussels for meetings tomorrow with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. They will discuss which portfolios are doled out to commissioners. So at least Juncker will know who Lord Hill is by the end of Thursday.