UK backs India’s UN Security Council bid

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson on Friday supported India’s bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, calling for the panel’s expansion to include India for a more “realistic” re-alignment of the world order.

Delivering his first major foreign policy speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London, entitled “Beyond Brexit: A Global Britain”, Johnson also said that as Britain leaves the European Union (EU), it would look to engage deeply with Asia.

“We should be realistic enough to accept that the international order needs to change. That is why Britain supports enlarging the permanent membership of the (UN) Security Council to other global powers, including India,” Johnson said.

“It is right that we should make a distinctive approach to policy-making as regards China and East Asia. Our approach in that region must go beyond the quest for exports and commercial contracts, vital though they are,” he said.

“The emerging balance of power system in Asia needs the influence of friendly countries, with our emphasis on the rulesbased system, in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation and unwanted confrontation.”

India has long been seeking a permanent place in the UN Security Council to reflect its importance as a trillion dollar economy and a major South Asian power.

In his speech, Johnson also threw his weight behind US president-elect Donald Trump’s campaign to get NATO countries to spend more on defence.