Where defining foreign policy as 'ethical' went wrong was that it implied that all decisions would be exclusive in every respect of any dealings with unethical regimes.

Hague rose through the ranks of John Major's government and entered the Cabinet in 1995 as the Secretary of State for Wales. In Parliament he has represented the constituency of Richmond (Yorks) since 1989. After David Cameron was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 2005 Hague returned to front line politics as shadow foreign secretary.