Is Boris a breath of fresh air or a liability?

BORIS JOHNSON is wrong to equate Iran with Saudi Arabia but right that we have ignored Saudi Arabia’s promotion of Wahhabism and attacks on ‘apostate’ Shiites for too long. Attacks on Shiite worshippers by Wahhabists occur regularly, and terrorist attacks on Westerners are invariably by Sunni jihadis. Saudi Arabia, with Nato member Turkey, facilitated the emergence of ISIS while, bizarrely, we gave priority to toppling Syria’s secular regime. We are backing the Saudi war of aggression against Yemen’s Shiite Houthis and this has enabled the Houthis — who are sworn enemies of Al Qaeda and ISIS — to consolidate their foothold in Yemen. Britain is to have a permanent military base in Bahrain. Is it wise to align ourselves with Bahrain’s Sunni rulers who brazenly suppress the Shiite majority? Iran, Assad’s Syria and Hezbollah don’t pose a threat to the West. It’s time to stop sucking up to Saudi Arabia.

YUGO KOVACH, Winterborne Houghton, Dorset. I ADMIRE Boris Johnson’s refreshingly ‘gravitas light’ approach, but his latest gaffe regarding Saudi Arabia came in the wake of his ‘Prosecco moment’ jibe to the Italians and his call for protests outside of the Russian Embassy because of their stand over Syria. Boris’s tendency to ‘shoot from the lip’ is unsuitable for dealing in international diplomacy. Theresa May should reshuffle her Cabinet: perhaps the Ministry for Culture Media and Sports would prove a more suitable home for Boris’s talents. As an admirer of Theresa, I advise her to acknowledge the ‘Peter principle’: that ‘managers rise to their level of incompetence’.

GERRY DOYLE, Liverpool. IT’S difficult to believe the Saudi leaders would be insulted by Boris Johnson’s remarks when even we in Britain can’t understand what he says, let alone make any sense of it.

JOHN EVANS, Wokingham, Berks. BORIS JOHNSON made ‘offensive’ comments about Saudi Arabia, but isn’t it time our politicians weren’t afraid to speak uncomfortable truths without calls for their resignations? Boris is clever and has a brilliant way with words. I wish politicians would just stop the backbiting for once. This might enable us to have more faith in them. The Arabs didn’t kick off, so why the fuss?

V. ROBERTSON, address supplied.