Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to return Sunday to the UK, where he faces criticism for not cutting short his holiday to deal with soaring Mideast tensions.
Johnson, who celebrated the New Year on the Caribbean private island of Mustique after leading his Conservative Party to a strong majority in the December 12 election, has been silent over the US slaying Friday of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike.
Soleimani's death stoked fears that heightened world tensions could spiral into war after Iran threatened revenge against the US, which has sent 3,000 more soldiers to Kuwait.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has defended Johnson, saying the two have been in constant contact during this time. The British government has upgraded its travel warning for the Middle East and dispatched two warships to escort UK-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipment corridor for world oil supplies. Jeremy Corbyn, the outgoing leader of the opposition Labour party, said Johnson "should have immediately cut short his holiday to deal with an issue that could have grave consequences for the UK and the world."
In an op-ed in The Observer, Labour's foreign policy spokeswoman Emily Thornberry, who is in the race to take over from Corbyn, said she was astonished Johnson hadn't said anything 48 hours after the strike and wondered if he was afraid of angering US President Donald Trump, who ordered the slaying.
Ed Davey, the leader of a smaller party, the Liberal Democrats, tweeted that Johnson's silence was “deafening.” Raab, appearing Sunday morning on British news shows, dismissed the criticism, telling Sky News that “the whole government is working closely together. We're very clear on strategy.”