The Foreign Secretary will deliver a landmark speech at the
National Cyber Security Centre today (9th May) in
which he will underline British priorities and responsibilities
in an increasingly contested world.
will call for a harder edge
for a tougher world, pushing for more assertive action to ensure
British interests can be pursued effectively during his first
major speech as Foreign Secretary.
The Foreign Secretary will say:
“We are in a battle of wills. We all must prove our
adversaries wrong – Britain, and our allies and partners around
the world.
“The upcoming NATO Summit must see all Allies on track to
deliver their pledge made in Wales in 2014 to spend two per cent
on defence.
“And we then need to move quickly to establish 2.5 per cent
as the new benchmark for all NATO Allies.
“We need to out-compete, out-cooperate and
out-innovate.”
He will underline the need for the UK to invest in old alliances
- with the freedom of being outside of the EU - such as
partnerships in Europe Five Eyes, the G7 and NATO, but also press
the need to forge new partnerships, like the AUKUS alliance with
the US and Australia, and our Joint Expeditionary Force
collaborations with like-minded nations in northern Europe.
The Foreign Secretary will also refer to his recent travel to
Central Asia, and discuss “strengthening our bilateral
relationships with countries such as those in Central Asia who
see the destructive, reactionary policies of our adversaries as a
threat to their security and prosperity.”
The Foreign Secretary will say:
“We need to adopt a harder edge for a tougher world.
“If Putin's illegal invasion teaches us anything, it
must be that doing too little, too late, only spurs an aggressor
on.
“I see too many examples in this job of this lesson not
having been learnt.
“Take the Red Sea, where ship after ship has been
attacked.
“While many countries have criticised the Houthi attacks, it
is only the US and Britain that have been willing and able to
step up and strike back at them.
“Or defence spend in Europe, where still some seem unwilling
to invest, even as war rages on our
continent.
“Or women's rights, where some are so cowed by accusations of
colonialism that they will not condemn practices like Female
Genital Mutilation, ignoring survivors' calls to eliminate
it.
“This cannot go on. We need to be tougher and more
assertive”
He will also address the Lord Mayor's Easter Banquet in the
evening at Mansion House.
The Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli will also address the
Easter Banquet, saying:
“A world ordered for decades by globalisation and
geoeconomics has quickly become a world grounded in geopolitical
risk.
“In an unstable world, international standards define what
great looks like, setting consistent benchmarks for businesses
and consumers alike that ensure reliability, build trust, and
simplify choice.
“They make all our lives easier and safer, make trade between
countries simpler and fairer and act as a vehicle for change -
guiding businesses in adopting sustainable and ethical practices
that make our world a better place.”
