Brexit Britain will be a world leader again – but only if we ramp up military spending, top Tory warns PM

BRITAIN can step up to become a global leader after Brexit – but only if we massively boost spending on defence and foreign policy, a leading Tory MP said today.

Tom Tugendhat warned Theresa May that the UK risks falling behind other countries including France and China in the race for influence around the world.

But he suggested that if we are willing to invest by ploughing more cash into diplomacy and defence, Britain can take the leadership role which America has abandoned under Donald Trump.

Mr Tugendhat, chairman of the powerful foreign affairs committee in the Commons, called on the PM to use Brexit as an opportunity to exert more influence on countries outside Europe.

Speaking in London today, he said: “The reality is that this exposes us to having to stand up on our own. We can do what we choose – so we’d better stand up and do it.

“We have to make friends elsewhere, and make them fast. That means investment – and it means it now.”

He warned Britain now has to compete not just with other EU countries but with the whole world – standing up to China in military terms, and matching the likes of Singapore on the economy.

And he suggested Britain is one of the few countries which can offer leadership in America’s absence – listing a small group of politicians including Emmanuel Macron, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi but leaving out Mr Trump.

Mr Tugendhat said: “The world is crying out for leadership – the world is always crying out for leadership, and never more than today.

“The United Kingdom is uniquely placed to be able to offer leadership and it’s a great shame that we are failing to do so.”

He said Mrs May should invest more cash in the military, to stop the armed forces shrinking, and called on Foreign Office bosses to stop selling off historic embassies abroad.

MOST READ IN POLITICS

£1M TAX BURDEN

Hardworking Brits will pay £1.1million in tax during their lifetime

PM PLAN

Boris will fight to survive partygate with plans to level up UK & avert Ukraine war

HOME FRONT

Mansions owned by Russian billionaires face being seized if Ukraine's attacked

PARTY'S OVER

Sue Gray report could be released TOMORROW as watered-down report sparks fury

Mr Tugendhat, who has been seen as a rising star since joining the Commons in 2015, has repeatedly clashed with Boris Johnson over the Foreign Secretary’s eccentric leadership style.

He was speaking at the launch of a report by The UK in a Changing Europe, which calls on a more rigorous approach to ensuring Britain’s security is not weakened by leaving the EU.

During the event, academic Luigi Scazzieri warned that the UK must “invest more on security, diplomacy and development to maintain its influence” after Brexit.

    Source: Read Full Article

    Previous post Last survivor of terminal illness doc My Last Summer is still defying the odds five years after she was meant to die
    Next post What is the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill?