I’m not keen on the Clooneys’ ‘no phones’ rule for guests | Emma Beddington

Amal Clooney says the policy allows for safe and frank' conversation. But what if you want to show George a cool meme of an anteater posing?

Would you willingly surrender your phone if you were invited to the Clooneys'? Because that's the deal, apparently. I now have a phone basket that I use to take everyone's phones away!" Amal Clooney recently told Glamour magazine in a rather stilted conversation" with the cosmetics diva Charlotte Tilbury. It's important to get that balance where you have time alone with your family and with your friends where people feel like you can have a safe and frank exchange," she explained.

Hmm. I'm fine with shoes-off households (although you reap what you sow when it comes to the state of my socks or my toes). But the phone basket is reminiscent of those aggressively jocular pub signs that say: No wifi - talk to each other." What if you're dealing with a family or work situation, need to hide in the loo and stroke your shiny pocket rectangle to recharge your social batteries, or want to show George a cool meme of an anteater posing? Yes, the Clooneys are the A-est of A-list, with attendant privacy concerns and young children. But if you can't trust people to behave properly, what are they doing in your home?