What will UK foreign policy look like under Labour?

What will UK foreign policy look like under Labour?
Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive to cast their votes at a polling station in London on July 4, 2024 as Britain holds a general election. (AFP)
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Updated 05 July 2024
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What will UK foreign policy look like under Labour?

What will UK foreign policy look like under Labour?

LONDON: The first month of a Keir Starmer premiership will be a whirlwind of international diplomacy including meetings with US President Joe Biden and European leaders.

His first steps on the world stage will be just days away, at the NATO 75th anniversary summit being held in Washington next Tuesday to Thursday.

Starmer will then play host at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, in central England, on July 18, at a European Political Community meeting, with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz expected.

Labour, out of power since 2010, has pledged a foreign policy of “progressive realism,” seeing a more volatile world “as it is not as we would want it to be,” said David Lammy, who is expected to become foreign secretary.

The party has also pledged to “make Brexit work” and seek “an ambitious” security pact with the the European Union.

Here is a rundown of how a Labour government could approach the major international issues it faces.

Labour would undertake a “full audit” across all government departments of the UK’s relationship with China to “set the direction and course” of its China policy, Lammy told reporters this week.

Starmer last year said the UK needed to “wean itself off” China on issues like trade, commerce and technology while acknowledging the importance of being able to cooperate on issues such as tackling climate change.

The challenge will be to balance the UK’s trade and economic interests with security imperatives.

That could be complicated by a possible return of Donald Trump in Washington after the US presidential election in November.

Trump would be expected to ramp up pressure on allies to be tougher with Beijing.

Labour says it is committed to recognizing a Palestinian state “as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution.”

But it has not set out any timescale for doing so.

Other commitments include pushing for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and an increase in the amount of aid getting into Gaza.

Starmer has pledged to work with France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party if it wins power.

“I will work with any government in Europe and across the world if we are elected... For me, that’s what serious government is about,” he said.

He said both bilateral deals with France and agreements with the whole EU, which the UK voted to leave in 2016 leading to a messy divorce, were important to address the issue of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

Pressed on RN leader Marine Le Pen’s preference for bilateral deals over EU-wide ones, Starmer said the two were not mutually exclusive.

He said existing bilateral agreements with France needed to be strengthened and improved “particularly in relation to smashing the gangs that are running the vile trade of putting people into boats.”

“But there are also EU measures,” he added. “The security agreement we want with the EU when it comes to dealing with smuggling gangs is really important.”

The UK has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters and has provided money, weapons and troop training to help it repel Russia’s invasion.

Labour have stressed continued support for Ukraine if they win, and Starmer would be expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky early to reaffirm that message in person.

Starmer has said a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is “simply not an issue” at the moment and described him as “the aggressor in Ukraine.”

“The most important thing is to be absolutely clear that our support for Ukraine is on a united front in this country,” he said.

A strategic defense review would be carried out within the first year of government to set out a path to an increase in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP.


Trump says Americans could feel ‘pain’ in trade war with Mexico, Canada, China

Trump says Americans could feel ‘pain’ in trade war with Mexico, Canada, China
Updated 12 min 26 sec ago
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Trump says Americans could feel ‘pain’ in trade war with Mexico, Canada, China

Trump says Americans could feel ‘pain’ in trade war with Mexico, Canada, China
  • “We’re not going to be the ‘Stupid Country’ any longer,” the Republican president wrote on social media
  • Experts warn that Trump’s tariffs could reduce US economic growth and throw Canada and Mexico into recession
  • Democratic lawmakers decried what they called a blatant abuse of executive power. Others warned about rising prices.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Sunday the sweeping tariffs that he has imposed on Mexico, Canada and China may cause “some pain” for Americans, as Wall Street and the largest US trading partners signaled hope that the trade war would not last long.
US futures markets opened lower in a sign that investors were worried the tariffs could spur inflation and drag on growth, as economists have warned.
Trump, less than two weeks into his second White House term, defended the tariffs as necessary to curb illegal immigration and the drug trade.
Canada and Mexico ordered retaliatory measures to Trump’s 25 percent tariffs, which promise to jolt the economies of all three countries, which are tightly integrated through free-trade agreements.
China said it would challenge Trump’s 10 percent tariffs at the World Trade Organization and take unspecified countermeasures. Critics said the Republican president’s plan will slow global growth and drive prices higher for Americans, but Trump defended his decision.
“We’re not going to be the ‘Stupid Country’ any longer,” the Republican president wrote on social media. He added in all caps: “Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!)“
Trump did not specify what he meant by “some pain.” North American companies were braced for the move, which could upend industries from autos to consumer goods to energy.
EY Chief Economist Greg Daco said Trump’s tariffs could reduce US economic growth by 1.5 percentage points this year, throw Canada and Mexico into recession and usher in “stagflation” — high inflation, stagnant economic growth and elevated unemployment — at home.
Trump’s move was the first strike in a what could be a destructive global trade war that Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics said would lead to a surge in US inflation that would “come even faster and be larger than we initially expected.
US crude oil futures jumped more than $2 to hit $75 per barrel, while stock futures fell. The S&P 500 E-mini futures were down 2 percent, while Nasdaq futures were down 2.75 percent.

Tuesday deadline
The Trump tariffs, outlined in three executive orders, are due to take effect 12:01 a.m. ET (0501 GMT) on Tuesday. Markets were awaiting developments with anxiety, but some analysts said there was some hope for negotiations, especially with Canada and China.
“The tariffs look likely to take effect, though a last-minute compromise cannot be completely ruled out,” Goldman Sachs economists said in a note Sunday.
They said the levies are likely to be temporary but the outlook is unclear because the White House set very general conditions for their removal.
A White House fact sheet gave no details on what the three countries would need to do to win a reprieve.
Trump vowed to keep them in place until what he described as a national emergency over fentanyl, a deadly opioid, and illegal immigration to the United States ends. China left the door open for talks with the United States. Its sharpest pushback was over fentanyl.
“Fentanyl is America’s problem,” China’s foreign ministry said, adding that China has taken extensive measures to combat the problem.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, raising her fist in the air in a speech outside the capital, vowed resilience.
She accused the United States of failing to tackle its fentanyl problem and said it would not be solved by tariffs.
Sheinbaum said she would provide more details on Monday of the retaliatory tariffs she ordered this weekend.
Canada said on Sunday it will take legal action under the relevant international bodies to challenge the tariffs.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also encouraged Canadians on Sunday to boycott their longtime ally after ordering retaliatory tariffs against $155 billion of US goods, from peanut butter, beer and wine to lumber and appliances.
Canadian officials said they were preparing measures to help business who might be hurt by the trade war.
Trump has heaped derision on Canada in particular, with calls for the country to become the 51st US state. On Sunday, he said Canada “ceases to exist as a viable country” without its “massive subsidy.”

Following through
The tariff announcement made good on Trump’s repeated 2024 campaign threat, defying warnings from economists that a trade war would erode growth and raise prices for consumers and companies.
Trump declared a national emergency under two laws, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act, which give the president sweeping powers to impose sanctions to address crises.
Trade lawyers said Trump could face legal challenges for testing the limits of US laws. Democratic lawmakers Suzan DelBene and Don Beyer decried what they called a blatant abuse of executive power. Others warned about rising prices.
“No matter which way you slice it: costs are going to climb for consumers,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, vowing to try to “undo this mess.”
Republicans welcomed Trump’s action.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week showed Americans were divided on tariffs, with 54 percent opposing new duties on imported goods and 43 percent in support, with Democrats more opposed and Republicans more supportive.

Investors look ahead
Investors were considering the effects of additional tariffs promised by Trump, including those related to oil and gas, as well as steel, aluminum, semiconductor chips and pharmaceuticals. Trump has also vowed actions against the European Union.
A European Commission spokesperson said the EU “would respond firmly to any trading partner that unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs on EU goods.” Europe’s biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, said it was counting on talks to avoid trade conflict.
Automakers would be particularly hard hit, with new tariffs on vehicles built in Canada and Mexico burdening a vast regional supply chain where parts can cross borders several times before final assembly.
Trump imposed only a 10 percent duty on energy products from Canada after oil refiners and Midwestern states raised concerns. At nearly $100 billion in 2023, imports of crude oil accounted for roughly a quarter of all US imports from Canada, according to US Census Bureau data.
White House officials said Canada specifically would no longer be allowed the “de minimiz” US duty exemption for shipments under $800. The officials said Canada, along with Mexico, has become a conduit for shipments of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the US via small packages that are not often inspected by customs agents.
 


Georgian police arrest opposition leaders at pro-EU protest

Georgian police arrest opposition leaders at pro-EU protest
Updated 11 sec ago
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Georgian police arrest opposition leaders at pro-EU protest

Georgian police arrest opposition leaders at pro-EU protest
  • Earlier on Sunday, the Interior Ministry warned protesters in a statement that blocking the motorway was a criminal offense

TBILISI: Police in Georgia arrested several anti-government protesters on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators demanding new parliamentary elections briefly blocked a motorway on the edge of the capital Tbilisi.
A Reuters reporter saw three protesters being arrested, including Nika Melia, a leader of the country’s largest opposition party, the Coalition for Change.
Interfax news agency reported that Melia has since been released on bail after detention for an administrative offense.
“At the police station, I was sitting on a chair in handcuffs and was kicked by a police officer,” Interfax cited Melia as telling journalists afterwards.
Reuters could not independently verify the information.
There was no immediate comment from the police. Georgia’s Ministry Of Internal Affairs had said in a statement before the protest that the police would ensure the rally took place “in a peaceful environment, within the limits established by law.”
Former Tbilisi Mayor Giorgi Ugulava was also arrested, local media reported.
Georgians have been rallying nightly since November, when the ruling Georgian Dream party said it was suspending European Union accession talks until 2028, abruptly halting a long-standing national goal.
Georgian Dream held onto power in a disputed election in October that opposition parties say was rigged. The government says the vote was fair and free.
Protests had dwindled in recent weeks but they resumed with greater force on Sunday when thousands of people gathered outside a shopping complex on the northern edge of Tbilisi and briefly blocked the road leading out of the city. Police presence at the rally was considerable. Earlier on Sunday, the Interior Ministry warned protesters in a statement that blocking the motorway was a criminal offense.
One protester was seen by the side of the road, unconscious. Reuters was unable to establish what had happened to him.
Unverified video footage posted on social media showed scores of police in balaclavas beating protesters on the streets and others carrying away injured demonstrators into ambulances.


Trump to cut off all future funding to South Africa, Elon Musk’s original country

Trump to cut off all future funding to South Africa, Elon Musk’s original country
Updated 50 min 31 sec ago
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Trump to cut off all future funding to South Africa, Elon Musk’s original country

Trump to cut off all future funding to South Africa, Elon Musk’s original country
  • He alleged that “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY”
  • Trump pledged during his first administration to investigate claims of large-scale killings of white farmers in South Africa and violent takeovers of land

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would cut off all future funding to South Africa because he claimed, without evidence, that “certain classes of people” were being treated “very badly.”
“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” he added.
In 2023, the United States obligated nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa, according to US government statistics.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said last month that he was not worried about the country’s relationship with Trump.
Ramaphosa said at the end of January that he had spoken to Trump after his election victory and looked forward to working with his administration.
During his first administration, Trump had pledged to investigate the unproven large-scale killings of white farmers in South Africa and violent takeovers of land.


Rubio says Panama must reduce Chinese influence around the canal or face possible US action

Rubio says Panama must reduce Chinese influence around the canal or face possible US action
Updated 03 February 2025
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Rubio says Panama must reduce Chinese influence around the canal or face possible US action

Rubio says Panama must reduce Chinese influence around the canal or face possible US action
  • China’s presence in the canal area may violate a treaty that led the US to turn the waterway over to Panama in 1999, Rubio tells Panama President Mulino
  • After his meeting with Rubio, Mulino said Panama would not be renewing its agreement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative when it expires

PANAMA CITY: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio brought a warning to Panamanian leader José Raúl Mulino on Sunday: Immediately reduce what President Donald Trump says is Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or face potential retaliation from the United States.
Rubio, traveling to the Central American country and touring the Panama Canal on his first foreign trip as top US diplomat, held face-to-face talks with Mulino, who has resisted pressure from the new US government over management of a waterway that is vital to global trade.
Mulino told reporters after the meeting that Rubio made “no real threat of retaking the canal or the use of force.”
Speaking on behalf of Trump, who has demanded that the canal be returned to US control, Rubio told Mulino that Trump believed that China’s presence in the canal area may violate a treaty that led the United States to turn the waterway over to Panama in 1999. That treaty calls for the permanent neutrality of the American-built canal.
“Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty,” the State Department said in a summary of the meeting.

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino (L) greeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on arrival at the presidential palace in Panama City on February 2, 2025. (AFP)

The statement was unusually blunt in diplomatic terms, but in keeping with the tenor and tone Trump has set for foreign policy. Trump has been increasing pressure on Washington’s neighbors and allies, including the canal demand and announcing Saturday that he was imposing major tariffs on Canada and Mexico. That launched a trade war by prompting retaliation from those close allies.
Mulino, meanwhile, called his talks with Rubio “respectful” and “positive” and said he did not “feel like there’s a real threat against the treaty and its validity.”
The president did say Panama would not be renewing its agreement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative when it expires. Panama joined the initiative, which promotes and funds infrastructure and development projects that critics say leave poor member countries heavily indebted to China, after dropping diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and recognizing Beijing.
Rubio later toured the canal at sunset with its administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez, who has said the waterway will remain in Panama’s hands and open to all countries. Rubio crossed the lock and visited the control tower, looking down over the water below, where a red tanker was passing through.
Earlier, about 200 people marched in the capital, carrying Panamanian flags and shouting “Marco Rubio out of Panama,” “Long live national sovereignty” and “One territory, one flag” while the meeting was going on. Some burned a banner with images of Trump and Rubio after being stopped short of the presidential palace by riot police.

Panama activists take to the streets in Panama City to protest US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's diplomatic visit to discuss the Panama Canal and immigration with President Jose Raul Mulino on February 2, 2025. (REUTERS)

Rubio also pressed Trump’s top focus — curbing illegal immigration — telling Panama’s president that it was important to collaborate on the work and thanked him for taking back migrants. Rubio’s trip, however, comes as a US foreign aid funding freeze and stop-work orders have shut down US-funded programs targeting illegal migration and crime in Central American countries.
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on Friday, Rubio said mass migration, drugs and hostile policies pursued by Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have wreaked havoc, and port facilities at either end of the canal are run by a China-based company, leaving the waterway vulnerable to pressure from the Beijing government.
“The president’s been pretty clear he wants to administer the canal again,” Rubio said Thursday. “Obviously, the Panamanians are not big fans of that idea. That message has been brought very clear.”
Despite Mulino’s rejection of any negotiation over ownership, some believe Panama may be open to a compromise under which canal operations on both sides are taken away from the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports company, which was given a 25-year no-bid extension to run them. An audit into the suitability of that extension is already underway and could lead to a rebidding process.
What is unclear is whether Trump would accept the transfer of the concession to an American or European company as meeting his demands, which appear to cover more than just operations.
Rubio’s trip, which will also take him to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, comes amid a freeze in US foreign assistance. The State Department said Sunday that Rubio had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting but details of those were not immediately available.


Elon Musk brands USAID as ‘criminal organization’ in growing row

Elon Musk brands USAID as ‘criminal organization’ in growing row
Updated 03 February 2025
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Elon Musk brands USAID as ‘criminal organization’ in growing row

Elon Musk brands USAID as ‘criminal organization’ in growing row
  • More USAID officials removed from posts as Trump’s team moves to abolish the agency’s independence
  • Trump has ordered a freeze on almost all US foreign aid oending a review of its spending to ensure money is distributed in line with his “America First” foreign policy

WASHINGTON: US billionaire Elon Musk attacked the US Agency for International Development on Sunday, calling it a “criminal organization” after President Donald Trump moved to freeze the bulk of Washington’s foreign assistance for three months.

USAID, an independent agency established by an act of Congress, manages a budget of $42.8 billion meant for humanitarian relief and development assistance around the world.

But it is one of the targets of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Musk, whom Trump has tasked with cutting the government workforce and slashing what the Republican calls waste and unnecessary spending.

Trump ordered a freeze on almost all US foreign aid, saying his administration will review spending to ensure money is distributed in line with his “America First” foreign policy.

The Trump administration has since issued waivers for food and other humanitarian aid. But aid workers say uncertainty reigns — and that the impact is already being felt by some of the world’s most vulnerable.

USAID is a criminal organization,“ Musk wrote on his X platform, replying to a video alleging USAID involvement in ”rogue CIA work“ and ”internet censorship.“

In a subsequent post, Musk doubled down and, without giving evidence, asked his 215 million X followers, ”Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people?“

He did not elaborate on the allegations, which officials in the previous administration linked to a Russian disinformation campaign.

Mayhem

Two top USAID security officials were reportedly removed during the weekend after they tried to stop DOGE representatives from gaining access to restricted parts of the building, three sources said on Sunday.

The action added to the dozens of staff at USAID being removed from their positions, as Trump’s team moves to abolish the agency’s independence and possibly bring it under the control of the State Department.

USAID’s account on X had been disabled, and the agency’s website was still offline.

Nearly 30 career staff in the agency’s Legislative and Public Affairs bureau lost access overnight to their emails, at least five sources said, bringing the total number of senior USAID career staff who have been put on leave over the past week close to 100.

“DOGE did access the building yesterday,” a senior Senate Democratic aide said, requesting anonymity to discuss the incident. USAID security officers tried to turn away DOGE personnel without security clearances.

“They (security personnel) were threatened with action by the federal Marshals Service,” the aide said. Following the incident, the director of USAID security John Voorhees and his deputy were removed from their positions and put on leave, sources said.

Members of the group from DOGE were allowed to access several secure spaces, including the office of security and the agency’s executive secretariat.

There was no record of what information DOGE officials were able to obtain in those areas, but the offices they accessed included classified files and personal information about Americans who work at USAID, the sources said.

Katie Miller, a DOGE spokesperson, said on social media platform X that no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.

Matt Hopson, who was appointed as chief of staff by the Trump administration, has resigned, five sources familiar with the matter said. A congressional source said his resignation followed the incident with DOGE officials. USAID did not respond to a request about Hopson.

Legal battle looms

Congressional Democrats said the changes appeared to violate US laws establishing USAID and funding it as a separate agency. Two senior Senate Democratic aides said lawmakers and staff had been meeting on Sunday and would meet again on Monday to consider further steps, including legal action.

Senior Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee including its chair Jeanne Shaheen on Sunday sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking an explanation over the incident. Shaheen said that she was working to gather Democrats and Republicans to ask for answers.

The global freeze on most of US foreign aid is already sending shockwaves around the world. Field hospitals in Thai refugee camps, land mine clearance in war zones, and drugs to treat millions suffering from diseases such as HIV are among the programs at risk of elimination.

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast on Sunday said that he would support moving USAID under the State Department and that there needs to be “more command and control.’

Asked on CBS’ “Face the Nation” if congressional approval was needed or whether Trump could act unilaterally, Mast did not answer. The “purging of people throughout the State Department, other agencies” and freezing aid were “all very important and necessary steps to make sure that we secure America,” he said.

The State Department and USAID did not respond to requests for comment.