UK seems absent from global stage, warns new parliamentary review

The ongoing “Integrated Review” being undertaken by the UK government must address a lack of clear strategic vision, a lack of confidence and lack of coherent implementation that has undermined the country’s recent international policy, a new cross-party parliamentary review said in its report released on Thursday.

The ongoing "Integrated Review" being undertaken by the UK government must address a lack of clear strategic vision, a lack of confidence and lack of coherent implementation that has undermined the country's recent international policy, a new cross-party parliamentary review said in its report released on Thursday. The House of Commons' influential Foreign Affairs Committee released 'A brave new Britain? The future of the UK's international policy' following an inquiry into the government's post-Brexit Global Britain plans and concluded that the country's international policy has been "adrift". It warns that as the world is increasingly driven by global competition rather than cooperation, the UK must step up to a more proactive role on the global stage.

"Our contributors the world over were clear that the UK has recently appeared less ambitious and more absent in its global role. From India, the country's former Ambassador to the UN, Asoke Mukerji, told us that 'in the political and strategic sphere, there is a perception that the UK is not involved as much as it should be'," the report notes, in reference to witness statements taken from world leaders for the inquiry. "The UK's own international policy has been adrift. It has lacked clarity. More than four years after the soundbite was first used to encapsulate the UK's international role, and almost three years after our Committee first called for more clarity about its meaning and metrics, many of our contributors still told us that they did not know what Global Britain stood for," it adds.

Among a series of recommendations, the report calls on the government to ensure its tilt to the Indo-Pacific region builds off a strong partnership with Europe and acts with "nimble coalitions" of like-minded nations to counter threats and realise opportunities. "Many key global voices feel that this country has a huge part to play as the world changes in coming years. The UK must now move forward in a confident, clear and coherent way, driving events, not simply be pushed around by an increasingly unstable world," said Conservative Party MP Tom Tugendhat, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee.

"The key role for the UK was made clear – build networks of nations who will work together to address challenges and create opportunities. The UK has a unique capability to support coalitions and convene nimble networks. These coalitions would be open, issue-based, fleet-footed, overlapping, and even temporary: a 'vari-lateral' system," he said. The report highlights that the UK has a strong capacity to use its memberships and influence to bring countries together in dialogue. It calls for a coherent, resourced "soft power" strategy bringing together the UK's tools of influence, from law and education to training missions and trade.

"This is no time to wander in no-man's land without a map. The government's intended Integrated Review should be the moment we bring together the full range of proven assets to cement the UK's role as a powerful diplomatic presence, essential partner, and trusted ally, enhancing our international reputation in the years to come," adds Tugendhat. The committee highlighted that its report was written in the expectation that the government would publish its Integrated Review in the coming days. However, given the COVID-19 pandemic constraints, the government has indicated that it will not proceed with a multi-year spending review, which reduces the Integrated Review to an annual spending round rather than a long-term vision. Therefore, the committee warns that though the pressures of financial uncertainty are now greater than ever, efforts must be made to not waste any time on formulating a coherent future foreign policy strategy.