Targeted assassinations are murder

That is why at the battle of Waterloo, Wellington forbade a gunner to assassinate Napoleon when he told the Duke that he had him in his sights.

Targeted assassination was pioneered by the Israeli government, with the US in hot pursuit.

Now Cameron is introducing it here: he must be stopped if it is at all possible. If in 2003, an agent of the Iraqi government had assassinated Blair on the grounds that he was about to authorise an invasion of his country, no lawyer would have not regarded it as murder. Why not? His argument for murdering Blair, would be exactly the same as Cameron has adduced for murdering British citizens fighting for Isis.

And that Blair posed an obvious threat to Iraq was crystal clear. Cameron has yet to produce evidence that these citizens do pose a threat to Britain: but it doesn't matter he is judge, jury and executioner in his own cause.

Malcolm Pittock

St James Avenue

Bolton