Strategically we are likely to see a noticeable difference. In 2021, the UK published its much-vaunted report Integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policyIt is an official, historical document that outlines Britain's aspirations for its role in the post-Brexit world. One of the most important elements of the review was the so-called “Indo-Pacific tilt.”
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Contrary to more than half a century of British foreign policy – Harold Wilson's Labor government declared in 1968 that the UK no longer considered it to have important strategic interests “east of Suez” – the review concluded that Britain's interests in the 21st century were indeed worldwide; that the increasingly borderless nature of threats to the international system means that geography and locality are becoming less important; that the geostrategic duality between the Euro-Atlantic region and the Indo-Pacific region was less important; As a global actor, which is what Britain aspires to be, it must adjust its strategic position accordingly.
Labor promises broad continuity in UK foreign policy, disavowing not only the “indo-Pacific tilt”, but the enthusiasm for broader global engagement that underpins this policy. Integrated review The sound is muted. Many in Labor see “Global Britain” as merely pro-Brexit rhetoric, an ambition to be a major player outside Europe that has been dismissed as Johnson’s arrogance. Labour's foreign policy interests outside the NATO region are likely to focus on the Middle East and Africa, rather than the Indo-Pacific region.
The Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has already announced that a Labor government will subject the UK-China relationship to a comprehensive review “across Whitehall” when it takes office. When I spoke to West last week, she told me that the terms of the audit would not be published until after the election. However, it is reasonably clear that its scope will not be limited to the relationship with China; It is likely to extend to the UK's wider engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
In politics, the announcement of an “audit” is usually a symbol of a reassessment of priorities and a reallocation of resources. The UK's defense budget is already under serious pressure. Labor wants to dramatically expand development aid.
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The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have refocused attention on interests closer to Britain. The public discussion in London reflects growing unease about Russia's future intentions in Europe beyond Ukraine, which worsened last week after an unexpected visit by Vladimir Putin to Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, which was widely interpreted as a threatening message to the Baltic democracies.
In this environment, it seems unlikely that the global ambitions of the world's countries will be achieved Integrated reviewIt will be embraced by a future Labor government, especially the “leaning” towards the Indo-Pacific. The UK will continue to engage diplomatically in our region, for example, as a partner in the ASEAN Dialogue and through the Commonwealth, but its focus will narrow as its attention returns home.
George Brandeis He is a former High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, a former Liberal senator and a former federal prosecutor. He is now Professor of the Practice of National Security at the School of National Security at the Australian National University.
