Tugendhat savages Miliband for shaking hands with Iranian minister while Tehran was 'planning to attack the United Kingdom'

From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026 · last updated 7 October 2026.

Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat tore into Ed Miliband at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, accusing the Foreign Secretary of pursuing a 'personal agenda' that endangers Britain. Miliband shook hands with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN General Assembly last month while Tehran was allegedly plotting terror attacks on UK soil. Tugendhat warned the Foreign Office had become an 'international NGO' that projects values instead of British power.

Tugendhat also blasted Miliband for 'virtue signalling' over Israel sanctions, warning the move fractured intelligence-sharing with a key security ally.

The shadow foreign secretary accused Miliband of tying Britain's energy to China rather than tapping North Sea resources, calling it a 'personal agenda' over national interest.

A Shahed-136 drone — the Russian weapon used to murder Ukrainians — hung from the ceiling of Birmingham's Symphony Hall as Tugendhat delivered his attack.