The next Labour government would be committed to rebuilding the UK’s global reputation and reconnecting with key allies after a period that has left British diplomats marginalised and “pitied” on the international stage, the shadow foreign secretary has pledged.
Speaking to the Financial Times ahead of a speech at Chatham House on Tuesday to set out his foreign policy thinking, David Lammy was scathing about the legacy left by the Conservatives: “The debacle of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng has hugely undermined our reputation and, in some circles, made us a laughing stock. But most of the world I meet just want Britain at the table in a serious, grown-up way.
“They recognise our work on the Security Council at the UN, they miss our leadership on global development. There is a huge respect for Britain but there is confusion and some pity with the way things have been recently. It is incredibly unusual to be a British diplomat and receive pity from your international colleagues.”
Lammy argued that the nature of global challenges showed the need for alliances. “Isolated thinking has left our country a lot weaker as a consequence,” he said.
Repairing relations with the EU would be the priority. Given Labour’s caution on stirring up Brexit controversies, Lammy was clear the party would not seek to rejoin the single market or customs union. But he highlighted the review in 2025 of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, an event that could begin within weeks of a Labour election victory.
Lammy did not go beyond existing policy to resolve the Northern Ireland protocol disputes, a veterinary agreement to resolve friction on food and agricultural goods, and strengthening the recognition of professional qualifications. But asked if he may go further, he added: “It is a negotiation.”
Labour would “normalise” relations with the EU, “which would also bring a degree of certainty to business”. But the shadow foreign secretary added: “I don’t think reopening the discussions that have torn this country apart helps bring certainty and I don’t think anyone in Brussels is suggesting it is a good idea for Britain to do the hokey-cokey on in-out with the EU.”
What is key for the former barrister is that “the UK just isn’t in the room”. “Do not underestimate the importance of structured dialogue with our EU partners,” he stressed. “We haven’t got any at the moment.”
The speech is part of a broader agenda led by party leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves last week at Davos to show that Labour is preparing for government and re-engaging with the world.
Lammy’s wider agenda is to plug the UK back into the councils and consideration of its allies by repairing relations with them. Among his solutions is a new UK/EU security pact to complement Nato, more effort to lead international opinion on climate action with a new “inverse Opec” of countries committed to clean energy, and restoring the UK’s role in leading on international development. However, he stopped short of guaranteeing to restore the pledge to spend 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product on foreign aid until fiscal conditions allow.
The Tories would point to the Ukraine conflict as proof that the UK is still very much a force in world affairs but Lammy argued that the UK’s absence was key to his broader argument. “China’s growth and global dominance” has led to a “new era of geopolitical competition”, he said.
This has been coupled with what he called “weaponised interdependence”, a phenomenon most clearly seen in Russia’s use of energy in the Ukraine conflict.
Unlike Labour under Starmer’s predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, Lammy was clear about the party’s commitment to Nato and support for the government over Ukraine. He also raised concerns about the level of defence spending being too low.
He shied away from some of the most hardline Tory rhetoric over China, preferring to describe it as a “strategic competitor” rather than a strategic threat”, but was clear in the need to respond to Beijing’s growing dominance by re-engaging with multilateral organisations and leveraging the UK’s soft power.
“Brexiters may have been right to talk of taking back control of foreign policy but they were fundamentally wrong if they felt that meant going it alone. My central premise is reconnecting Britain for our security at home.”
