Westminster is watching. A horrific attack in Spain. Two dead. Babies among the injured. The details are still thin, but the political shockwaves are already being felt.
This is the kind of incident that freezes a government. The kind of incident that forces a prime minister to make a statement, to express solidarity, to promise action. Expect the usual choreography. A call to Downing Street from Madrid. A press conference. A moment of silence.
But behind the scenes, the game is different. The game is about what this means for security arrangements. For domestic politics. For the fragile alliances that hold coalitions together. Every tragedy is a lever. Someone will try to use this.
The Home Office will be scrambled. Briefings will be drafted. The opposition will demand answers. The backbenches will be restless. There is always a group of MPs who see blood in the water. They will ask: Could this happen here? They will demand new laws. They will call for a review.
And the prime minister? He will be careful. He knows that a misstep in a crisis can be fatal. He will offer sympathy. He will offer support. But he will not be drawn on specifics. Not yet. The game is to wait. To see how the polling shifts. To see if the public is scared or angry. That determines the next move.
The victims are people. Two dead. Babies injured. That is the human cost. But in the corridors of power, the cost is political. The question is: Who pays?
