𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Has the UK ever looked more inadequate on the international stage during a global crisis? It’s a serious question. Allies were furious – who could blame them? – that Keir Starmer did not immediately take a tougher stance on one of the most brutal regimes in history.

Defence Secretary John Healey outlined the threat well on Sunday morning. The Iranian regime slaughters its own people, orders terror attacks abroad, plots assassinations and kidnappings, arms enemies of the West and targets ships in the Red Sea. The Prime Minister’s refusal to even say he supported American and Israeli airstrikes provoked widespread fury. This of course, came after the UK refused to join the initial strikes.

As the hours passed, so did the bemusement. Where was the formal UK response, to one of the most consequential developments in the Middle East in decades?

And Donald Trump sparked another crisis in the Special Relationship when he revealed that Sir Keir had refused permission for US forces to use the Diego Garcia base to target Iran.

Sir Keir said on Sunday that US forces would be allowed to operate from British bases against Iran to target missile sites.

But Mr Trump said it “took far too long”. The Labour leader, the US President fears, was too caught up on whether the military strikes complied with international law, as intelligence revealed some of the most evil men in the World were gathering.

Timings matter in moments of crisis. Canada and Australia came out within hours to say they supported the strikes against the Iranian regime. Their leaders are of a similar political persuasion to Sir Keir.

It’s not like one of them was the Canadian equivalent of Nigel Farage, a natural ally to Donald Trump.

So, a historic diplomatic crisis engulfing the Middle East, which is becoming more and more menacing to British forces by the day, has also become a political one.

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Kemi Badenoch claimed the Labour leader was trying to placate left-wing voters in this country.

Many are again questioning Sir Keir’s judgement, because it is not splitting down traditional political lines, as many developments in the Middle East tend to do. Britain is being cast aside at a time when friends matter.

And the security crisis engulfing Number 10 will require snap judgements.

Drones are being fired at British military bases in Cyprus.

But he is still refusing to join offensive operations alongside the Americans and Israeli forces.

Instead, Britain will stay on the sidelines as Washington and Tel Aviv go after the munitions factories, military targets and nuclear facilities.

As Kemi Badenoch put it, allies in the Gulf were struck by missiles and drones before Sir Keir acted.

International law didn’t prevent Canada and Australia from offering support against a despotic regime.

But once again, the Prime Minister has resorted to type, and defended a somewhat nebulous concept of ‘international law’.

This of course, ignores the plethora of crimes committed routinely by the Iranian regime.

It ignores an evil that is barely imaginable.

And our allies must be able to count on Britain as they confront that evil.