Its last British governor often repeats that what the Chinese Communist regime has done in Hong Kong since the handover in 1997 is wrong and wicked; but his personal diaries reveal that he was as exasperated by Western kowtowing as he was by Chinese bullying

Friday 10 April 1992, London
On the morning of the unexpected (to some) Conservative victory and my own rather humiliating defeat [John Major had led the Tory Party to victory in the general election but Patten had lost his own seat of Bath to the Liberal Democrats] I walked over to Downing Street from our flat next to Westminster Cathedral. I went through St James’s Park, which is always good for morale, and climbed the steps into Downing Street, getting a very demonstrative salute from the policeman on duty. John and I met on our own in his study. We talked first of all about the Cabinet and ministerial appointments. He said that he had wanted to make me Chancellor of the Exchequer. I am at least spared that torture, especially given the dif- ficult position that the economy is in. He then ran through all the options that faced me, adding the possibility of the governorship of Hong Kong. Almost the moment that he men- tioned it, this seemed to me the best and most exciting of all the possible choices.

Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April 1992, London
I am immensely excited by the prospect of being a hands-on mayor of Hong Kong. I know from my work as Minister for Development that the Asian and Pacific rim is where so much of the action is going to be for the next generation and longer. It would be a difficult job, but I think it is important to show the world that we can handle this last imperial responsibility in a decent way and one which doesn’t betray the people of Hong Kong.