Labour will increase UK's global engagement, David Miliband says

Former foreign secretary says Britain will be 'open for business' as new government looks to strengthen economy

Former UK foreign secretary David Miliband said the country's new Labour government would increase engagement with long-standing partners including the UAE, as Britain seeks to strengthen its economy.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, the former Labour politician said Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government were clear-eyed about the challenges facing Britain, after his party was elected to power following 14 years of Conservative rule.

“They have a very realistic view of the challenges facing the UK, notably in the European theatre and Ukraine-related, but also the domestic problems in the UK revolving around the economy,” Mr Miliband told The National.

“But they've also said very clearly that they want the UK to engage globally, including with long-standing partners in places like the UAE. So I think that you're going to see a Britain that's open for business, not just economically but diplomatically as well.”

Mr Miliband served as foreign secretary under Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010 and now leads the International Rescue Committee in New York. He stepped back from politics in 2010 after losing the Labour leadership contest to his brother, Ed.

Mr Miliband spoke at a panel in Aspen on Wednesday that emphasised the human toll of the many crises facing the world. “You can't talk about security at the Aspen Security Forum if you're not willing to talk about the human consequences of insecurity,” Mr Miliband said, referring to the more than 50 civil conflicts around the world.

“There are record numbers of refugees and internally displaced people, record numbers of coups around the world. And so this is a time when every humanitarian emergency is also a political emergency or reflects a political emergency.”

He added that environmental groups and humanitarian agencies need to do a better job of co-ordinating their responses to crises.

Of the 20 nations on the IRC's emergency watch list for 2024, 14 are among the most climate-vulnerable countries. “There's increasing evidence of the way that resource stress is a multiplier of conflict," Mr Miliband said.

"And that's something that I think we have to do a better job in the humanitarian sector, to try and line up our approach to innovation, to financing, with that of the those working in the climate space."