Anyone who joins Isis should be tried for treason

Fifteen months ago Philip Hammond talked about treason. In an exchange with Conservative backbencher Philip Hollobone in the House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary declared: ‘We have seen people declaring that they have sworn personal allegiance to the so-called Islamic State. That does raise questions about their loyalty and allegiance to this country and about whether, as my honourable friend rightly says, the offence of treason could have been committed.’ Mr Hammond promised to refer the matter to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, but the silence since has been deafening.

Meanwhile the number of Britons travelling to Syria to join Isis continues to rise. 800 at the last count, according to a statement by the Foreign Secretary last week, of which an estimated 400 have returned home. How many still wish to wage jihad against the West isn’t known but according to the Sunday Times around fifty are considered ‘high-risk’ and ‘are involved in plotting attacks against Britain’.