They must have heard something about loving their enemies because in Wednesdays Prime Minister's Questions both adopted an unusually civil, cross-party approach to the crisis in Iraq.
Cameron disagreed with those who said this was none of our business and if Iraqis want an extremist Sunni society that was their choice. He argued, and the Leader of the Opposition agreed, that left unchecked extremists will eventually target us. The police, Security and Intelligence Services were alert to prevent this. British people travelling to the region to fight had been stopped and their passports confiscated. Legislation will be introduced this year to make it illegal to plan here terrorist attacks overseas.
Miliband welcomed the reopening of the British Embassy in Tehran but said care is needed because Iran does not support an inclusive and democratic state at home and cannot be expected to do so In Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Cameron assured the House that the Government would support the voices of moderation that want democracy, inclusive government, and pluralist politics, under the rule of law.
Globally there are an estimated 29.8 million people in slavery today and a Bill to prevent this in the UK has started its parliamentary life. It makes it an offence, punishable by life imprisonment, to hold another person in slavery or servitude or to require another to perform forced or compulsory labour. It also makes it an offence to traffic someone with a view to exploiting them. Anyone assisting traffickers or slave masters without being directly involved could still be sentenced to ten years if convicted. The Bill protects the victims of trafficking and enslavement from prosecution for crimes they were compelled to commit by those exploiting them. This should make it easier for the victims to give evidence against their abusers.
Whilst the Bill is to be warmly welcomed and is unlikely to be opposed, there will inevitably be amendments to details and it is crucial that these are not allowed to delay the Bill's progress. Even so, there are obvious limits to what the Bill can achieve. The Anti-Slavery Commissioner, a role created by the Bill, will need adequate resources to uncover and prosecute traffickers and slave masters if the legislation is to achieve its objective. The person appointed should be independent and focussed on finding, stopping and preventing slavery. Despite occasional evidence of slavery in Britain, there have been few prosecutions and the Commissioner needs to change that.
The Bill only applies in the UK and it is obvious that the slave trade operates worldwide. The Foreign Office needs to use all its resources to persuade other nations to follow our example in the same way that William Hague has campaigned against rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. For more information see Premier's Not for Sale website.
