Making small-talk with the Prime Minister is always a bit strange for a political reporter. And after two days on the road to Poland and Germany this week, 20 journalists were probably the last people Rishi Sunak wanted to spend half an hour on the plane home talking to.
For us, there’s the tricky balance of appearing interested enough to be polite and hopefully build up a bit of a rapport, without accidentally looking keener than a prospective parliamentary candidate in the back of the resulting press shots.
But while both sides may feel a bit awkward, it is a valuable routine. On previous trips the Prime Minister has barely been able to hide his frustration with the travelling press pack; on one memorable occasion asking why we have to be so constantly negative.
This week there was some light-hearted chatter about clubbing after we all spent the night in Berlin, known for its music scene. A little back and forth about how much cake the Prime Minister indulges in (far more than most people, if what he says is true). But most........