The world of football is often less about the game on the field and much more about anything that happens around it. Governments exploit the sport for propaganda, investors for reputation improvement, and sports officials for personal gain.

The 2019 PIF offers a glimmer of hope for engagement. However, it simultaneously moderates what to expect at upcoming climate summits.

While a significant number of details are still to be clarified, the path laid out by SDSR 2015 should be able to begin to restore the UK’s hard-power capabilities and standing. Although Britain may not quite be back, it is back from the brink.