This week, we witnessed the appalling tragedy of the gunning down of 176 civilian air passengers, who were killed in what seems to have been an accident, but which was undeniably the fault of an unforgivably incompetent Iranian regime.

As this directly followed the crisis created by Donald Trump’s decision to assassinate a leading Iranian general, tensions in the region remain alarmingly high.

So it’s fitting that MPs will tomorrow (13 January 2020) debate Britain’s role in the world – from Iran to Trump’s America and beyond – and Britain’s future foreign policy as we, regrettably, leave the European Union.

We all know there’s an elephant in the room when it comes to Boris Johnson’s foreign policy: a Republican elephant.

Looking towards the US presidential election later this year, Trump is doing what so many US presidents have done before him: attempting to show US power abroad, even if that means stoking tensions, in order to persuade US voters he is a “strong man”.

Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Show all 25 1 /25 Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 People standing and analysing the fragments and remains of the Ukraine International Airlines plane Boeing 737-800 that crashed outside the Iranian capital Tehran on January 8 National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 A hole in a part of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 Iran said on January 11, it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/EPA Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Tehran Iranians protested in front of the Amir Kabir University in Tehran after the Iranian military released their statement about the flight EPA Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Debris of the wreckage Iranian president said a military probe into the tragedy had found "missiles fired due to human error" brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an "unforgivable mistake" National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Tehran Local newspapers in Tehran carrying headlines such as: "National Mourning", "Apologize, Resign", "Unforgivable", "Great Disaster" ... concerning the downed Ukranian jetliner AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Kiev, Ukraine Ukraine International Airlines President Yevhenii Dykhne stands next to a map of flight PS-752's departure path at a news briefing about the crash Reuters Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Tehran The Iranian students demonstrated following a tribute for the victims AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 The Canadian passport of a victim This handout photograph taken and released on January 11, 2019, by The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, shows the Canadian passport of avictim of the Ukraine International Airlines plane Boeing 737-800 that crashed outside the Iranian capital Tehran on January 8, 2020. - Iran said on January 11, 2020 it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile. Iranian president said a military probe into the tragedy had found "missiles fired due to human error" brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an "unforgivable mistake". (Photo by STR / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by STR/National Security and Defense Co/AFP via Getty Images) STR National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 This combination of satellite pictures shows a before and after image of the crash site in Tehran The image (top), according to Maxar, shows vehicles and personnel (centre) during accident recovery and investigation on January 11, with a wall by the soccer pitch (left) destroyed as well as a wall (top right). The image below was taken on November 27, 2019 Maxar Technologies/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Ukraine The portraits of victims with flowers and candles at Boryspil International Airport in Kiev EPA Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Holes in the wreckage This handout photograph taken and released on January 11, 2019, by The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, shows holes in the wreckage of the Ukraine International Airlines plane Boeing 737-800 that crashed outside the Iranian capital Tehran on January 8, 2020. - Iran said on January 11, 2020 it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile. Iranian president said a military probe into the tragedy had found "missiles fired due to human error" brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an "unforgivable mistake". (Photo by STR / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by STR/National Security and Defense Co/AFP via Getty Images) STR National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Tehran People gathered for a candlelight vigil at the gate of Amri Kabir University AP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 People standing and analysing the fragments and remains of the Ukraine International Airlines plane This handout photograph taken and released on January 11, 2019, by The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, shows people standing and analysing the fragments and remains of the Ukraine International Airlines plane Boeing 737-800 that crashed outside the Iranian capital Tehran on January 8, 2020. - Iran said on January 11, 2020 it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile. Iranian president said a military probe into the tragedy had found "missiles fired due to human error" brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an "unforgivable mistake". (Photo by STR / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by STR/National Security and Defense Co/AFP via Getty Images) STR National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Protests against war with Iran took place in London The demonstration was co-organized by the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament and the Stop the War Coalition, an activist group formed in 2001 Getty Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 A hole in a part of Ukraine International Airlines Flight epa08119576 An undated handout picture provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service allegedly shows a hole in a part of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, issued on 11 January 2020. According to media reports on 11 January 2020, the Iranian military released a statement claiming that Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down due to 'human error.' The Ukrainian jet, flying from Tehran, Iran, to Kiev, Ukraine, crashed minutes after takeoff on 08 January 2020, killing all 167 passengers and nine crew members aboard. EPA/UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/EPA Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Labour Party leader spoke at the event Jeremy Corbyn posing with an anti-war banner during the demonstration against the threat of war on Iran, in Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 A rose rests on a page featuring photographs of people who died in Iran Iranian Americans from across California converged in Los Angeles to participate in the California Convention for a Free Iran Reuters Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 A young boy protests against a possible war with Iran in London A young protester at a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament demonstration against a possible war with Iran in Trafalgar Square, central London. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday January 11, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Iran. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Jonathan Brady PA Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Holes in the wreckage This handout photograph taken and released on January 11, 2019, by The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, shows holes in the wreckage of the Ukraine International Airlines plane Boeing 737-800 that crashed outside the Iranian capital Tehran on January 8, 2020. - Iran said on January 11, 2020 it "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile. Iranian president said a military probe into the tragedy had found "missiles fired due to human error" brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an "unforgivable mistake". (Photo by STR / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by STR/National Security and Defense Co/AFP via Getty Images) STR National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine/AFP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Rescue workers search the scene on January 8 In this Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, photo, rescue workers search the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. Iran on Saturday, Jan. 11, acknowledged that its armed forces "unintentionally" shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Ebrahim Noroozi AP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Rescue workers search the scene In this Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 photo, rescue workers search the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. Iran on Saturday acknowledged that its armed forces "unintentionally" shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Ebrahim Noroozi AP Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Debris of the Ukraine International Airlines General view of the debris of the Ukraine International Airlines, flight PS752, Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport, on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran January 8, 2020 is seen in this screen grab obtained from a social media video via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. SOCIAL MEDIA Reuters Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Debris of the Ukraine International Airlines (FILES) In this file photo taken on January 8, 2020 rescue teams are seen at the scene of a Ukrainian airliner that crashed shortly after take-off near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran. - Iran said on January 11 that it unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian plane due to 'human error'. (Photo by Akbar TAVAKOLI / IRNA / AFP) (Photo by AKBAR TAVAKOLI/IRNA/AFP via Getty Images) AKBAR TAVAKOLI IRNA/AFP/Getty Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 One of the engines of the plane lies among the wreckage epa08118590 (FILE) - One of the engines of the plane lies among the wreckage after a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 carrying 176 people crashed near Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, killing everyone on board, in Shahriar, Iran, 08 January 2020 (reissued 11 January 2020). According to media reports, the Iranian military released a statement on 11 January claiming that Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 was shot down due to a human error. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH EPA Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737 Debris of the Ukraine International Airlines FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2020, photo, debris is seen from an Ukrainian plane which crashed as authorities work at the scene in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. Iran announced Saturday, Jan. 11, that its military â€œunintentionallyâ€ shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File) Ebrahim Noroozi AP

Ever since the release of historian Arthur M Schlesinger Jr’s famous book The Imperial Presidency, many Americans have shared concerns of people around the world, that, unchecked, the White House is not always a force for good.

But while Trump’s behaviour fits into a pattern, no US president before has demonstrated such recklessness, with an unwillingness to consult and listen, whether it’s to voices across Washington or voices in friendly capitals across the world like London. A big foreign policy challenge for 2020, is to ensure president Trump exercises his imperial powers more like a Constantine than a Nero.

Enter stage left, Johnson. We need our British prime minister to combine strength of character with a willingness to play the true friend to Trump. To act as a friendly check on an imperial president, facing impeachment and the electorate in the same year.

Has the prime minister got what it takes? The evidence is not encouraging. His reputation as an incompetent foreign secretary devoid of diplomatic prowess went way beyond his shocking mishandling of the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and the Iranians.

Moreover, Johnson’s primary motivation right now is to secure a US-UK trade deal that would vindicate his Brexit experiment, regardless of the damage it will do to our family of nations. In this respect, Johnson’s personal abilities and political interests do not appear to align with the British national interest: he is unlikely to be tough enough with Trump.

The White House knows that Johnson is desperate for a deal. In his statement after the Iranians attacked US military bases in Iraq, Trump pointedly said the United Kingdom must abandon the Iran Nuclear Treaty – a treaty signed not just by Britain, our close European allies, China and Russia, but also by the last US president, Obama. Trump’s statement was nothing short of a veiled threat: if the United Kingdom maintains its own foreign policy separate to the US, we can expect to be punished with a less good trade deal.

Johnson’s own threats to rip Britain out of the EU, regardless of whether there’s a deal for a future trading relationship, make us even more vulnerable to the whims of a president who bases decisions on his emotion and his ego, rather than calm reason.

In the face of bully-boy Trump, the Conservatives’ Brexit experiment must not override open and honest cooperation with our European allies. Working with them, Britain should be a bulwark against this president’s risk-taking and warmongering. We have to form part of a global Senate check to this particular imperial president.

Where we can find common ground with Trump, we must strengthen that cooperation. However much we disagree on his inconsistent and volatile approach to foreign policy – and especially his approach to climate change – the UK-US and EU-US relationships are vital.

But equally, we must stand firm and call for different policies, when Trump’s actions unnecessarily increase global tension. We can, for example, demonstrate that by working constructively to engage with some brutal regimes like Iran, progress can be made. Equally, we can show that when we collectively impose effective sanctions on rogue states, that can also incentivise their leaders to act more responsibly.

The Liberal Democrats stood against the Iraq war and my party will oppose the escalation of conflict in Iran. We know from Iraq that the only people who would profit from a war with Iran would be arms dealers. For others affected, war means lives cut short, human suffering on a terrible scale and the flight of thousands – if not millions – of people from their homes into lives of enormous vulnerability.

That is why the Liberal Democrats will challenge this Conservative government to uphold the rules-based international system. Diplomacy is essential if we are to find peaceful resolutions in times of tension. Organisations like the UN – for all their faults – still represent the best path to achieving peace and security across the world, by promoting dialogue and allowing nations to work collectively to achieve particular ends. Britain must be the champion of international law.