The foreign policy priorities of the UK’s new Labour government signal a shift from the previous Conservative approach. With a focus on rebuilding alliances and reinforcing multilateralism, Labour aims to restore the UK's global standing and credibility.
Thursday 17 July saw the state opening of Parliament in the United Kingdom, marking the formal start of the parliamentary year.
This event also symbolises the official start of the legislative programme of the new Labour government led by Prime Minister (PM) Keir Starmer. The Labour Party won a landslide victory in the UK general election on 4 July – ending 14 years of Conservative leadership. The new government’s proposed agenda and policies for the coming session were set out in the King’s Speech, delivered by King Charles III at the state opening and written by the government, as is customary.
Rebuilding Global Relationships
The speech gave a clear indication of UK foreign policy priorities. These are based on restoring lost confidence in the UK following its exit from the European Union (EU) in 2020 and its haste to establish “Global Britain” by cultivating a series of ambitious free trade agreements (FTAs) with major economic partners.
Essentially, the Labour government wishes to reset the clock on UK foreign policy to the period before the EU referendum in 2016. Following the decision to leave the EU, the Conservative government prioritised transactional (trade) relations over strategic partnerships, which led to friction with some of its long-standing partners; consequently, the UK lost a degree of credibility as a trusted and reliable interlocutor. The new Labour government is eager to rebuild relations with global partners on strong foundations of shared history, mutual interests, and common understandings. The primary focus in this regard will be on traditional allies and neighbours.
Five Policy Priorities
- Restoring relations with EU partners. While Starmer intends to keep the UK out of the EU, he has emphasised working more closely with the bloc to strengthen security and economic ties, including working to remove trade barriers.
- Reinforcing commitment to multilateralism, including through compliance with international law such as the European Convention on Human Rights.
- Reaffirming the importance of traditional allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
- Aligning with United States policy irrespective of the president in office.
- Resetting the UK’s standing on the global stage, returning it to the status of top-tier partner.
Who’s Who in the New Government
On 4 July, the Labour party defeated the governing Conservative party by overturning its 80-seat majority, securing 411 out of 650 parliamentary seats. Key to Labour’s landslide victory were the actions of the party’s central command under Keir Starmer, who was elected as the party’s leader in 2020. Labour HQ under Starmer adopted centre-ground policies and curtailed the influence of far-left groups and individuals closely associated with former leader Jeremy Corbyn, under whom the party won only 202 seats in the 2019 election.
Key positions in Starmer’s new cabinet, appointed on 5 July, include Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Secretary of Defence John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The “grand offices of state” are held by party centrists, and it is notable that prominent figures previously associated with the far left – which holds strong views in support of Palestine but in opposition to regional players such as Saudi Arabia – hold no ministerial positions.
Foreign Secretary and Team
New Foreign Secretary David Lammy comes into position after more than two years as Shadow Foreign Secretary. A lawyer by training, he was previously a parliamentary undersecretary and a minister of state under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Lammy is no stranger to foreign policy and assumes his post with a team of special advisers – known as Spads – who have been working with him in opposition. These include:
- Will Heilpern. A former journalist turned speechwriter in the European Parliament, Heilpern joined Lammy’s team in 2018 as a senior parliamentary researcher just prior to Lammy’s appointment to the Shadow Cabinet.
- Tom Raines. Formerly coordinator of the Europe Programme at Chatham House, Raines became special adviser to former Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy and then to Lammy upon his appointment to the post.
- Ben Judah. Previously director of the Transform Europe Initiative and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Centre, Judah was also a fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC, the European Council on Foreign Relations in London, and the European Stability Initiative in Istanbul.
Lammy describes Labour’s approach to foreign policy as “progressive realism”, arguing that the UK should increase its support for a values-based global order but be practical in considering how its goals can be achieved.
What This Means For MENA: A Strategic Shift
Labour’s MENA policy will, for the most part, echo that of the Conservatives, although the essence of the party’s approach differs. In contrast to the transactional and trade-focused approach of the Conservatives post-2016, the Labour government is eager to return the UK to the position of top-tier partner by deepening and enriching ties with the region beyond trade and investment.
This is particularly true for relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). The United Arab Emirates was fourth on the calls list for the new PM, and the new Foreign Secretary called his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed on Saturday 6 July. The following day, Starmer agreed to “deepen cooperation” with the UAE, including on defence and cyber security. There are indications that the Emirates will be one of the early recipients of a visit from the new UK leadership. The PM also called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the 15 July, and on 17 July No. 10 met with the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Policy Planning Unit, in another early show of efforts to strengthen ties with GCC states.
While Labour will continue to make strong efforts to attract Gulf money into the UK and support UK businesses, the new approach will see greater emphasis placed on issues such as regional security – seeing closer coordination with partners such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan, particularly in Yemen given the stepped-up rhetoric from the Houthi leadership against the Kingdom recently – as well as the Middle East peace process, development, and economic diversification.
Defence
Defence sales to the region are expected to continue. Although the left wing of the Labour party has traditionally opposed the licensing of, or has called for greater restrictions on, the sale of arms to MENA countries, the new government is unlikely to impose any moratoria or bans, and it will be, for all intents and purposes, business as usual.
The new government is coming under increasing pressure from activists within its own party to suspend arms sales to Israel; however, Starmer has insisted that he will wait for the findings of a review of export licences before taking any action. Irrespective of the findings, he is unlikely to impose a ban given the party’s recent history with anti-Semitism. Moreover, the Starmer government will want to demonstrate to its allies that the UK remains a dependable and indispensable security partner.
Israel-Gaza
Lammy’s visit to Israel and the West Bank was his first overseas trip as Foreign Secretary, outside the NATO Summit. Lammy was clear in his support for an immediate ceasefire, the return of hostages, and the delivery of aid and continues to advocate for a two-state solution. However, unlike Spain and Norway, among others, Starmer’s pledge to recognise Palestine is specifically tied to a two-state solution agreement.
Separately, Lammy is under pressure from Washington to continue the Conservatives’ position of blocking an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and conducting crimes against humanity. Lammy had, when in opposition, called for the Conservatives to approve the warrant, but his position is uncertain now that he holds office.
Syria/Lebanon
Elsewhere in the region, policies are unlikely to change materially. The UK will continue to follow the US’ lead on Syria, and in Lebanon, it will continue to support the Lebanese security forces, shore up key security institutions, push for reforms, and embolden pro-Western groups. The government will continue to see Jordan as a close regional partner, a partner for peace and a source of stability in the region, and close ties between the security services and armed forces of the two nations will endure.
Iran
In opposition, Labour said it would proscribe the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation – a move that Lammy’s predecessor David Cameron resisted due to the negative impact this would have on UK-Iran diplomatic ties. It now looks likely that Labour will not take this step, but instead will examine whether it is possible to amend existing laws to enable restrictions to be placed on state-linked organisations like the IRGC. However, this will be a lengthy and legally complex process and in the immediate term, focus will be on ascertaining the extent of new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence over foreign – and nuclear – policy.
What To Watch For
To date, there is still no Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister of State with responsibility for the MENA region. But the appointee will have to hit the ground running as soon as they are in post, with a lengthy list of regional opportunities to pursue and challenges to tackle.