You might have thought that David Cameron would be steering clear of foreign policy gaffes after his “news-rich” visit to Turkey and India*.
But he has just been accused by Labour of making a new blunder by mistakenly claiming that Iran has a nuclear weapon (at least, we are still assuming he’s wrong) during a PM Direct meeting.
The prime minister was asked why he was backing Turkey to join the EU and said it could help solve the world’s problems….”like the Middle East peace process, like the fact that Iran has got a nuclear weapon”.
Chris Bryant, shadow Europe minister, said Mr Cameron was becoming a “foreign policy klutz”.
“This is less of a hiccup, more of a dangerous habit,” he said. “Considering Iran’s nuclear ambitions constitute one of the most important foreign policy challenges facing us all, it is not just downright embarrassing that the prime minister has made this basic mistake, it’s dangerous.”
Downing Street said Mr Cameron “mis-spoke”. He had meant to say that Iran appeared to be trying to pursue a nuclear programme.
* Mr Cameron prompted controversy when he said (while in Turkey) that Gaza was a “prison camp” and said (in India) that Pakistan was exporting terror.
You may also recall that during the televised election debates he suggested that China posed a nuclear threat to the UK.
And let’s not forget his deputy Nick Clegg claiming that the Iraq war was “illegal”, which – whether you agree with him or not – is not the official government position, unsurprisingly.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey
