Do you remember when an ebullient Nigel Farage showed off his “shadow cabinet” in a bid to show that his latest political party is not a one-man band? It was barely a month ago, but such is the head-spinning speed of the news agenda that it feels already like ancient history.

The Reform UK leader, riding high in the polls, unveiled two Tory rejects and a pair of his loyal poodles to the four posts that he saw as key for his supposed “government-in-waiting”, brandishing them at a slick Westminster event with all the aplomb of a game show host. Yet, for all the turbulence buffeting the world, bizarrely he did not appoint anyone to the foreign affairs or defence jobs.

This was not an aberration. The party’s manifesto at the last election had chapters on agriculture, constitutional reform and fisheries – but did not bother with foreign policy, despite saying we needed better infrastructure to keep the country safe from overseas threats. No mention of China, Iran or Russia – although a Brexit section pledged “independence for Britain’s armed forces” from our European allies.

We can only conclude this is an area where Farage intends to keep performing as a soloist. Yet, the war in Iran exposes how this populist politician is pitifully out of his depth on the international stage, as shown repeatedly in recent times.

Start with Iran, where this shameless egotist who dares compare himself to Sir Winston Churchill for his courage is making screeching U-turns. Initially, he urged the Prime Minister to support the........

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