Stop the War invites Boris Johnson to debate UK’s ‘shambolic’ foreign policy

Britain’s Stop the War Coalition has invited Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to join a public debate on UK foreign policy after he controversially urged the group to stage protests outside the Russian embassy in London last week.

Stop the War described the UK’s foreign policy towards the Middle East and Russia under Johnson’s leadership as “alarmingly shambolic.”

In a statement, the group invited Johnson to debate British foreign policy, especially his claim that negotiations with Russia over the Syrian crisis have “run out of road” and his thinly veiled suggestion that force may be necessary against Moscow.

“After Boris Johnson’s extraordinary outbursts last week Stop the War has requested a public debate with him on foreign policy,” the group said.

“His statements, in which he called on Stop the War to organize a protest at the Russian embassy, claimed that negotiations with Russia had ‘run out of road’ and that ‘more kinetic action’ was necessary against them and then reverted to calling for more talks, suggests that under his leadership British foreign policy regarding Syria, the Middle East and Russia is alarmingly shambolic.

“Johnson is the foreign secretary and this situation is too serious to go unchallenged. We hope he will agree to our request,” the group added.

Last week, Stop the War rejected Johnson’s call to stage protests outside the Russian embassy in London, claiming the demonstrations would contribute to the “hysteria” and “jingoism” against Russia.

Johnson criticized Britain’s “anti-war protest groups” for failing to hold demonstrations condemning Russian involvement in Syria.

“There is no commensurate horror, it seems to me, amongst some of those anti-war protest groups. I’d certainly like to see demonstrations outside the Russian embassy. Where is the Stop the War Coalition at the moment? Where are they?” Johnson asked the House of Commons.