UK Foreign Policy Needs a Change, Says Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch
The UK’s approach to foreign policy is out of date and needs a review, says Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. She believes the country should put its own interests first.
Badenoch will make her speech on Tuesday during a busy week for international diplomacy. Both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are traveling to the White House to discuss the war in Ukraine.
The UK has been told it can’t just rely on international law to keep the peace, says Badenoch. She thinks the country needs to change its approach to dealing with crises like the war in Ukraine.
Badenoch wants Britain to prioritize its own interests and protect its borders, values, and people. She believes this should be the main goal of everything the government does.
The speech comes after a series of international events marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There have been new developments in peace talks, with US President Donald Trump talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump wants a quick end to the war and says Putin also wants a deal. But Ukrainian President Zelensky has accused Trump of helping Russia “break out of years of isolation”. Zelensky thinks an insecure settlement without security guarantees for Ukraine could embolden Russia to attack again.
Prime Minister Starmer will visit the White House on Thursday to make the case for Ukraine’s direct involvement in peace talks. He also wants to step up UK military support and take a bigger role in Europe’s security.
Badenoch agrees that defense spending should be increased, saying “any country that spends more interest on its debt than on defence is destined for weakness”. She believes there will be “painful decisions” on government spending to achieve this.
The Conservative leader also wants to review the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act. This has been criticized by a Labour spokesperson, who says Badenoch should apologize for the damage her party did to the UK during its time in power.
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