The Lammy Doctrine: The thinking behind Labour’s ‘restorative’ foreign policy

Labour has a new intellectual framework for British foreign policy and spearheading the charge is David Lammy.  On Tuesday, the shadow foreign secretary delivered a landmark speech to the think tank Chatham House. It was his most comprehensive intervention on foreign policy to date. Addressing the assembled fellows, Lammy laid the groundwork for how Labour […]

Foreign Office denies ‘deliberately misleading’ MPs over Afghanistan withdrawal

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has denied being “deliberately misleading” in the wake of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, the foreign affairs committee publishes the government’s response to the committee’s report “Missing in action: UK leadership and the withdrawal from Afghanistan”. The FCDO states that “there are fundamental lessons to learn” from the withdrawal, and […]

Truss and Sunak spar over China strategy

Foreign secretary Liz Truss and former chancellor Rishi Sunak continue to spar over foreign policy priorities as they battle for the Conservative leadership. Ahead of this evening’s televised debate, Sunak has described China as “the biggest-long term threat to Britain and the world’s economic and national security”. He has also vowed to ban controversial Confucius […]

UK remains ‘safe haven’ for ‘dirty money’ despite Russia sanctions

MPs have today accused “morally bankrupt” billionaires of using the UK as a “laundromat” for illicit finance despite a slew of fresh sanctions. In a new report: “The Cost of Complacency: illicit finance and the war in Ukraine”, the foreign affairs committee urges  the government to act now, while sanctions against Russia are in place, […]

Cabinet could be set for defence spending spat

The prime minister will today urge Nato members to increase their defence spending beyond the official target of 2 per cent of GDP. Boris Johnson is set to tell Nato allies that they must “dig deep” to help their defence in light of rising inflation. The Telegraph alleges that defence secretary Ben Wallace’s plans to […]

‘Unlikely’ that Ukraine war will have wrapped up by Christmas

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 leaders in a video address this afternoon that war with Russia is unlikely to be over by the end of the year. Former UK joint forces commander General Sir Richard Barrons has also admitted that it is “very unlikely” the war will have concluded by the onset of winter. […]

The UK’s new international development strategy lacks substance and gives little hope

We have heard it before; good things come to those who wait. Well, it would appear the UK government has tested that saying to destruction with the publication of their long-awaited international development strategy. Despite the wait, the paper presented to the media this week has as much substance as a soap bubble. We shouldn’t […]

How the UK can stop Chinese firms profiting from pain

This week I’ll speak at a cross-party event in Parliament calling on the UK government to act against Chinese companies complicit in the genocide of my people, the Uyghurs. Last month, the Health Secretary announced that Chinese surveillance firm, Hikvision, is banned from competing for new business with the Department of Health and Social Care. […]

Labour slam ‘risky’ new foreign aid plans

Labour have this afternoon criticised the foreign secretary’s plans for the future of UK international development. Labour’s shadow international development minister Preet Kaur Gill said the public would prefer an aid budget that was geared toward: “help[ing] those most in need around the world, not horse-traded for favours to big British corporations”. She went on: […]

The waves of the Ukraine invasion may near Taiwanese Shores

Does the Russian invasion of Ukraine have the US reconsidering Taiwan?  Many watching the events unfold in Ukraine have drawn parallels to the precarious affairs of Taiwan.. The Russian invasion has been likened to Chinese imperial interests on the island since its acquisition from the Japanese following World War II.  But there’s a lot more […]