Britain has lost its status as a major player on the international stage since Brexit, David Miliband has said.
Writing in the Observer, the former Labour MP warned of the UK’s waning influence in the aftermath of its split with the European Union, saying it is now just one of many “middle powers” in the world.
“We do not have the finance of Saudi Arabia, the EU anchor of France, the regional activism and risk appetite of Turkey or the demographic strength of India or Indonesia”, he said.
“Our wealth, military assets and reputation have all declined relative to others in the last decade.
“Our position, on critical interests from the economy to the climate crisis, national security and international development, will get worse unless we get our act together. The reason is simple: the world is trending towards an unhealthy disequilibrium, and Britain is on the wrong side of some of the key trends.”
Miliband suggested that the UK’s downward trend could accelerate if Donald Trump was re-elected later this year.
But he believes that, even if Joe Biden wins a second term, “the warning signs about American willingness, patience and ability to provide active and continuing strategic global leadership are still there”.
The ex-foreign secretary, who served in the position from 2007 to 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, says that “one of the delusions of Brexit” was that the UK’s destiny would depend only on its own decisions, rather than the ability to engage and bargain with other countries.
He said: “The danger for British policymakers was exemplified by the Johnson government: wishful thinking about our power and position in a world dominated by growing global risks and muscular, transactional, adroit – sometimes predatory – nations and non-state actors, all growing in influence by the weakening of the multilateral system.”
Britain, he said, still had global reach and power, and retained hard and soft power. It is also one of the world’s richer countries and is privileged to have a seat on the UN security council.
“But we have an imperative to understand the realities of our power as it is today, and not as it used to be.”
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