So why has David Miliband cut his trip to the Middle East short? The plan was for him to be in Israel today, meeting with luminaries including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, before hopping on a plane tonight to be back in time for tomorrow’s 42-day detention vote. Ben Brogan charts what actually happened:
“Instead Geoff Hoon told him to come back early, ostensibly because of difficult votes today. Mr Miliband and the rest of us duly got on a dawn flight in Jerusalem. Yet there is no sign of trouble at Westminster this afternoon, prompting some jolly speculation about the reason for the rushed return.”
Miliband is supposed to be one of Britain’s most important representatives on the world stage. For him to snub the Israelis like this, and be back in Westminster today – as Brogan puts it, “voting on the role of coroners” – is beyond disgraceful.
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