The moral and intellectual vacuum at the heart of Labour’s Middle East policy was laid bare yesterday in a BBC interview with the Foreign Secretary.
Eight times David Lammy was asked whether he believed the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities was right and lawful. Eight times he gave the same reply: ‘We were not involved.’
Sir Keir Starmer has been similarly reluctant to back America’s dramatic intervention, saying: ‘All of my focus is on de-escalation.’
They no doubt hope that by sitting on the sidelines of this unfolding conflict, the Government will avoid any collateral damage in the form of terror attacks on British interests.
They may also think that not explicitly endorsing actions of the US, and by extension Israel, will pacify the many hard-line anti-Zionists in their party’s ranks.
They are wrong on both counts. Hand-wringing pusillanimity is the worst of all worlds. Such is Iran’s hatred of Britain that our vulnerability to terror will not be reduced. And equivocation will not soothe the wrath of the Left. They demand outright condemnation of both the US and Israel.
On the other side of the ledger, failing to support this action risks alienating our most important ally – all the more so after Tehran launched a missile attack on an American base in Qatar yesterday.
Sir Keir keeps saying how vital it is that Iran doesn’t become a nuclear power, yet when America and Israel take steps to stop that happening, he doesn’t have an opinion.
Meanwhile, we have curbed arms sales to Israel, sanctioned Israeli ministers, and our Attorney General has expressed doubts that Israel’s action against Iran is lawful.
No wonder the UK is no longer consulted before these attacks are made. Our friends are no longer sure whose side we’re on.
With typical hubris, Sir Keir claims Britain is back on the world stage. He is never happier than when jetting around for inconsequential meetings and dull photo opportunities with other world leaders.
But when genuine courage, conviction and statesmanship are needed, he is nowhere to be seen. In every way that matters he, and sadly Britain, are becoming increasingly irrelevant.
A maternity crisis
There have been more than enough scandals to show there are serious systemic problems in the field of maternity care. Shockingly, the NHS now pays out more each year to settle clinical negligence claims for maternity failures than it spends on maternity services.
So, Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s decision to launch a national inquiry would seem to be long overdue. However, commissioning a report is not the same as actually doing something.
We have seen a lamentable string of failures in this most fundamental aspect of healthcare across several trusts, notably Shrewsbury and Telford and Nottingham.
Each has had its inquiry but little, if anything, has improved. A damning report by the Care Quality Commission in September said poor mother and baby care was so widespread that it was in danger of becoming ‘normalised’. Some hospitals didn’t even record incidents of serious harm.
This inquiry, which will examine ten of the worst performing units, is not due to report until December. That is too long to wait.
In a recent survey the UK had the second-highest maternal death rate of eight European countries studied. This is a matter of profound shame which must be rectified.
