Brexit relegated UK to ‘middle power’
The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, has relegated Britain to being just one of many “middle powers” in the world, and the country must rebuild ties with the bloc, said former foreign secretary David Miliband.
To overturn the decline, the UK needs to enter new “structures and commitments” with the EU on foreign policy, said Miliband, who served under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
In an opinion piece for The Observer newspaper, Miliband, who has been president and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee since 2013, said the UK’s reputation, wealth and military assets have all waned in the past decade.
Miliband, who was foreign minister from 2007 to 2010 in the Labour government, emphasized that the UK still has global reach and global power, and retains hard and soft power.
He said: “We are one of the richer countries and are privileged in our position 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.
“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 toward an unhealthy disequilibrium, and Britain is on the wrong side of some of the key trends.”
He said “the danger for British policymakers was exemplified by the (Boris) Johnson government: Wishful thinking about our power and position” in a world dominated by growing global risks.
Miliband cautioned that the UK’s global standing could deteriorate further if Donald Trump were to secure a second term in the United States.
He said that even if US President Joe Biden is reelected, “the warning signs about American willingness, patience and ability to provide active and continuing strategic global leadership are still there”.
Miliband noted relations within NATO remained strong, yet are nearly “nonexistent” with the EU, and said this disparity is more striking considering the Russia-Ukraine conflict has “brought the EU and NATO closer together”.
He added: “In a world where the EU is shipping weapons to Ukraine, hosting 6 million Ukrainian refugees, is a major development actor, sits in the G20, and is a regulatory superpower in trade, climate and digital areas, we need our mindset to change.”