As the former head of the UK’s Diplomatic Service, I am greatly dismayed by the approach being taken to British nationals detained in north-east Syria. To put it bluntly, the government’s policy is to bury its head in the sand and hope the problem goes away.
This disavowal of responsibility is causing consternation among our allies and damaging Britain’s reputation as a reliable security partner. The justification relied on by ministers – that abandoning British families in desert prisons is necessary for national security – simply does not hold water.
Read Lord Jay’s opinion piece in full at the Times.