PRIME Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband seized on the Malaysia Airlines MH17 tragedy to demand tougher sanctions against Russia yesterday.

The gung-ho Mr Cameron presented himself in the Commons as champion of a campaign to persuade all 28 EU states to impose sweeping sanctions on trade, financial services and arms.

Urging clear decisions at today’s EU foreign affairs council meeting, he complained that for too long many European countries had been reluctant to back stronger sanctions.