British citizens are in mortal peril in Algeria. Is this a good time for David ... - Telegraph.co.uk (blog)

Mokhtar Belmokhtar has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of up to 41 foreigners at the In Amenas gas field in the Sahara desert in Algeria. (Photo: Reuters)

As things stand, we don't really know quite what is happening in Algeria. But the signs are not encouraging, and it seems quite possible that some British nationals have been killed as a result of terrorist activity.

It also seems likely that a full picture of events in Algeria will take some time to emerge. Indeed, we may still be learning about this tomorrow morning, just as David Cameron takes the stage for his European speech.

Now, governing always means doing more than one thing at once, and the idea that Mr Cameron should clear his diary because his undivided personal attention is essential to securing the safety of British nationals is cleary misplaced: the machinery of state can function with or without direct prime ministerial involvement. And technology makes it ever easier for a PM to remain engaged with such a situation wherever he is.

But what about the PR? What about the optics? How will it look to voters if, at a time when their fellow citizens are in mortal peril, Mr Cameron's attention appears to be focussed on the relatively abstract concept of Britain's EU membership? The reason Mr Cameron once warned his party against "banging on about Europe" is that it fuelled the suspicion that Conservatives were people focussed on the wrong issues, interested in their own concerns and not those of the electorate.

Yes, a lot of people get quite excited about the EU, about sovereignty and the rest. But the safety and wellbeing its citizens remains the first duty of the state, and I suspect most people would think the fate of Britons in Algeria is of more pressing importannce than a speech on Europe that could be given on any other day of any other week.

It would still be a big suprise if the PM changes his speech plans, but the Algerian situation clearly adds yet another layer of complexity to what was already a remarkably difficult event to get right.

Mr Cameron's friends — and even some of his enemies — note that among his virtues are the ability to give good set-piece speeches on big occasions, and his ability to remain cool under pressure. He'll need both in the next 24 hours.