Hunt must say where he’d find the money
No senior Conservative can make a policy pronouncement nowadays without it being seen as a contribution to an undeclared leadership bid. With Theresa May’s days clearly numbered, her colleagues are anxious to catch the attention of MPS and party activists for the battle to come. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary and one of the favourites to succeed, was happy to use the annual Mansion House speech to set out his stall.
The speech is traditionally a tour d’horizon of global politics and a review of the UK’S place in the world. To a great extent this is currently defined by Brexit and the uncertainty over Britain’s priorities when we leave the EU. Mr Hunt, a Remain supporter who has become a Brexiteer, foresaw a continued pivotal role for the UK in global affairs post-brexit, and said: “If we want a central position on the world stage, we must earn it.”
But we must also pay for it. Mr Hunt was right to identify spending on defence as a priority in order to strengthen our “hard power”. Much emphasis has recently been placed on so-called soft power, whereby a country’s influence is exerted principally through diplomacy and aid spending.
With one eye on Donald Trump’s imminent visit for the D-day commemorations, Mr Hunt said it was “simply not sustainable” to expect America to spend nearly 4 per cent of its GDP on defence while others in Nato, such as Germany, spend between 1 and 2 per cent. The US president has told EU countries they must contribute more and not rely on the US to face down Russian aggression.
The Government says Britain is among the few to meet the 2 per cent Nato target; yet this has been questioned by some because of the nonmilitary items included in the calculation, such as pensions. Mr Hunt wants the next strategic defence and security review to consider a “decisive increase” in the proportion of GDP devoted to defence. This is a bold statement certain to grab the attention of the White House as well as Tories looking for a new leader.
But he also needs to say where the money will come from. The obvious source is the 0.7 per cent of GDP devoted to foreign aid; but Mr Hunt supports that. Successive governments have scrimped on defence while increasing other budgets, because that has been the electorally easy choice to make. The time is coming when this approach is no longer tenable.