GAFFE-PRONE

Jeremy Hanley's appointment as Britain's new minister in charge of Hong Kong affairs is a worrying sign that the territory is beginning to slip from the political agenda in London now that the big-ticket controversies over the handover seem to have been settled.

After being sacked as Conservative Party chairman, Mr Hanley was apparently considered not up to the job of running the Ministry of National Heritage, which he had been expected to get. So he was packed off to handle Hong Kong instead.

Governor Chris Patten may see that as good news. Instead of reporting to a middle-ranking minister in London, he now has his former parliamentary private secretary in the post and can expect Mr Hanley to follow his direction.

But, for anyone without a personal stake in the matter, the appointment looks more like an expression of contempt for Hong Kong, and indicates how unimportant the position has become since a political heavyweight took up the Governorship.

More worryingly, it may also reflect a feeling in Britain that, with the political reform and Court of Final Appeal controversies now in the past, there is less need to keep such a close eye on Hong Kong.

Mr Patten already visits London less often than before, and his trips can be expected to become still more infrequent over the next two years. With John Major and Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind beset by domestic problems and difficulties over Europe, little short of an unexpected crisis with China is likely to turn their attention to Hong Kong matters, which means that it will be left to Mr Hanley to handle London's response to the territory's day-to-day problems.