Spymaster warns UK will be ‘ weaker’ after Brexit

Spending on the military, intelligence and diplomacy may have to increase in order to maintain the UK’S in fluence on the world stage after Brexit, a former spymaster has warned.

Sir John Sawers said quitting the European Union could leave the UK “poorer and weaker”, diminishing the country’s global impact.

The former chief of MI6 also appeared to cast doubt on whether the break from Brussels would happen, telling peers that “Brexit – assuming it goes ahead–will have an impact” on how the UK takes par t in foreign policy strate - gies.

The former diplomat told a House of Lords committee: “After Brexit, it will be vital that we sustain, in many ways enhance, our investments in diplomacy, defence, intel ligence – very high investments are made already – if we want to have aninfluence in the world of the sort we have had over the last 30 or 40 years.”

A strong economy was vital to maintaining global power and that could be hit by leaving the EU, Sir John added.

He told peers on the EU external affairs sub- committee the UK could face being forced to rebuild after Brexit like it had following the 1970s downturn.