Boris Johnson’s silence on Soleimani is deafening

This is a dereliction of duty, not because Britain is any longer a player in the region – Colonel Nasser put an end to that some decades ago – but because British citizens are in jeopardy

Although Whitehall tries not to “do” panic, there is a sense of urgency to its recent attempts to defend British citizens and interests in the Middle East. Three days ago, the royal navy dispatched two warships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect the high volume of shipping that passes through it (although they will scarcely be enough, even with the US navy and others). Travel advice has been made stricter. A squad of logistics experts are being sent to Baghdad to plan an emergency evacuation of British forces and civilians; thousands remain in Iraq alone, risking kidnap, or worse.

Without so much as a cursory phone call, President Trump ordered the assassination of one of Iran’s leaders, and so endangered not only Americans but virtually every westerner. Even if the White House had run the plan past Boris Johnson, however, the truth is that there is little the prime minister could have done to prevent his erratic ally from doing what he has long yearned to: humiliate a historic enemy. Then again, it would at least have given the British government an opportunity to urge calm and prepare for the worst. So much for the special relationship.

Perhaps embarrassed by this, perhaps at a loss for anything to say, the prime minister, after a brief written statement the other evening, has gone quiet. No doubt he will be asked about it at Prime Minister’s Questions – he cannot easily avoid that – but otherwise, it appears he plans to absent himself from this global crisis. This is a dereliction of duty, not because Britain is any longer a player in the region – Colonel Nasser put an end to that some decades ago – but because British citizens are in jeopardy.