DAILY MAIL COMMENT: The perils of being a politicised Prince

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: The perils of being a politicised Prince

Just days after the nation celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of a Queen who has studiously avoided being drawn into political controversy for 70 years, her son and heir blunders into a diplomatic minefield.

As we reveal today, Prince Charles was overheard describing the Home Secretary’s plan to process cross-Channel migrants’ asylum claims in Rwanda as ‘appalling’.

Quite apart from being insulting and patronising to Rwanda (which he’s due to visit this month), he has taken sides in a viciously polarised debate, amid rumours of tensions with the Prime Minister.

A constitutional sovereign cannot also be a political agitator. If the monarchy is to survive his stewardship, he would do well to remember that.

In a rare outbreak of common sense, the High Court firmly disagreed with him yesterday, clearing the first Rwanda flight for take-off next week as planned.

Cue much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the activist charities, trade unionists and human rights lawyers who fought the case – plus Labour, the Lib Dems and the rest of the shrill anti-Brexit establishment.

Prince Charles (pictured with Camilla) has branded the Home Office ‘s Rwanda deportation scheme ‘appalling’ – but has denied trying to influence government policy

This is a stunning victory for Priti Patel, who has been outrageously vilified for the sin of trying to break the Calais traffickers’ business model and save lives.

Her opponents don’t appear to care how many migrants are endangered, as long as they can prevent Britain taking back control of its frontiers. Despite being thwarted this time, they will certainly be back.

Unrestricted immigration is, of course, a long-term Labour policy. But that’s just part of the story.

The wider objective for Sir Keir Starmer and his fellow Remainers is to drag us back into the orbit of Brussels. No matter that 17.4million people voted to take back control, they are itching to reverse that huge popular mandate. They are aided by the civil service ‘Blob’, which despises Mr Johnson almost as much as they do, a clique of Conservative rebels and the House of Lords.

Unless the Tory party stands united behind its leader against this threat, Brexit will founder and democracy will be betrayed.

And if Charles fails to learn from his mother’s wisdom, the monarchy could ultimately be equally compromised.

Common sense cop

THE police should stop and search suspects smelling of cannabis. Being ‘woke’ must not be a priority. Police stations should not be closed. Chief constables should do better. More officers should be out on the streets.

There was a time when it would have been entirely uncontroversial for a top policemen to hold such opinions. The fact they now sound contentious – radical even – emphasises how badly the police have lost touch with the priorities of the public.

So we applaud new Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke for reaffirming these fundamental principles of policing. The real tragedy is that senior officers need to be reminded of them.

Pawns in Putin’s game

AT A kangaroo court, in an illegal self-proclaimed republic, sham judges condemn two British-born Ukrainian soldiers to execution by firing squad. It’s like some grotesque Orwellian nightmare.

Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin wore the uniform of the Ukrainian army when captured by the Russians and handed to the puppet People’s Republic of Donetsk. As such they are entitled to prisoner of war status under the Geneva Convention.

Instead they are branded terrorists and their rights trashed. To Vladimir Putin, they are merely pawns in a cynical game.

The Mail fervently hopes Ukraine and the UK will succeed in securing their freedom, possibly through a prisoner exchange.

As for Putin, it’s just one more war crime to add to his ever-lengthening charge sheet.

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