THERE was no more poignant moment over the weekend than the news that two young Cambridge graduates – Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones – had their lives cut cruelly short by the fanaticism of Usman Khan at London Bridge on Friday afternoon.

Three young people – all under the age of 30 – with their lives ahead of them taken in a matter of minutes. Families left grieving. Londoners shocked but remaining defiant. The country angered by another instance of terrorism in our largest city.

In times of such acts of destruction, it requires politicians to listen to the families. It requires politicians to reflect on the loss of lives – especially those of Jack and Saskia who were determined to do good and meaningful things with their lives.

In times of such devastation, we look to our leaders for guidance and reassurance. In the wake of such moments, our leaders have a responsibility to pause and reflect on how best to unite the country around our shared values. Our collective response to these moments of crisis should define us.

Instead we witnessed the Prime Minister rush to the Tory-leaning press and blame the actions of a “leftie government”. In a moment of national tragedy, the Prime Minister played politics for his own gain.

Even in the midst of unimaginable grief, Jack Merritt’s father was in no doubt about such shameless politicising of such a tragedy when he said that Jack: “would be livid his death has been used to further an agenda of hate …”

Stop and think about that for a moment. A grieving father has just lost his incredibly high-achieving son to the brutality of a religious fanatic.

A son who had been reaching out to help others and build bridges. Yet that grieving father feels that the Prime Minister is using his son’s murder to perpetuate “an agenda of hate that Jack gave his everything fighting against.”

It is astonishing to witness from the Prime Minister such a stunning lack of emotional intelligence, combined with a level of political opportunism unsurpassed in any other putative leader of our country.

What we should have had from the Prime Minister was a resolute defence of the pillars of our society: pluralism, compassion, inclusion and justice. A defence that is enabled by living those values every day.

In short he should have taken the tone adopted by London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, in reflecting on the tragedy and dedicating that our endeavours should be to achieve what Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were trying to do – make our world a safer and better place.