Boris Johnson has been accused of a “dereliction of duty” for refusing to appear in public to comment on the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
Labour lashed out as No.10 confirmed that the prime minister would not lead for the government in the Commons on the US assassination in
Iraq of Iranian military chief Qassem Soleimani.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace will update MPs instead, but
Jeremy Corbyn will respond formally for the Opposition in a bid to highlight the national importance of the situation.
The cabinet discussed events in Iraq at its meeting on Tuesday morning, and Johnson is set to chair a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) to go through detailed responses.
Downing Street insisted the PM was closely involved, but HuffPost
UK understands that Corbyn believes his failure to turn up to address MPs is “disgraceful”.
A
Labour source said: “This is a significant development with potentially major implications for the national security of this country.
“It is a dereliction of duty for the prime minister to refuse to come and update parliament and the country on this important issue.”
Johnson has not given any TV clips or appeared in public since his return from his
Christmas holiday.
But No.10 defended the decision to delegate to Wallace, with foreign secretary Dominic Raab unavailable because he is in
Brussels to discuss the situation with French and German counterparts.“The PM leads a cabinet government and the response to events in the middle east is a collective cabinet response,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
“The prime minister has spoken to and continues to speak to world leaders.
“He has overseen the ministerial response and will chair the National Security Council. The safety and security of our personnel is of paramount importance and we keep our force protection measures under review.
“The defence secretary along with other ministers has worked to ensure
British assets and interests are prepared and protected and he will update parliament with the latest developments.”
The spokesman added that during the cabinet meeting the PM stressed “the importance of protecting British citizens and interests and de-escalating tensions”, but a “more substantial” discussion would take place at the NSC.
Johnson, who returned from his Christmas holiday on a Caribbean island this weekend, has already been under
fire for waiting several days to formally respond to the Iraq crisis.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry accused Johnson of “sunning himself and drinking vodka martinis” instead of dealing with the issue.
Soleimani’s killing took place on Friday but it was Sunday evening before any Johnson statement was issued by No.10.
Thornbery said there had been three emergency Cobra meetings where Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, had been forced to chair in Johnson’s absence.
Meanwhile, forty people have been killed in a stampede as Iranians flocked to the burial of the top commander killed in a US drone strike, officials say.
The deaths in Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman led to the postponement of his interment.Related... Here’s The Latest On Iran: The US Is Braced For ‘Severe Revenge’ Iran’s Cultural Sites Should Never Be Targets. Trump Should Know Better After Iraq Downing Street Slaps Down Trump Over Threat To Target Iran's Cultural Sites