Lack of English speakers embarrasses Czech coalition

The new government risks being isolated, particularly in the EU where English remains the working language, warn critics

When a new five-party coalition took office in the Czech Republic a week before Christmas, it was expected to herald a reaffirmation of the country's Europhile and western credentials after years of ambivalence and hedging under an outgoing populist government.

Instead, the new administration - headed by Petr Fiala, a former political science professor who replaced the former oligarch Andrej Babi as prime minister - has found its carefully crafted outward-looking image tarnished by embarrassing revelations about its members' poor English-speaking skills.