A new report believes the Foreign Office should be abolished and replaced by a new Department of International Affairs to modernize a “somewhat elitist” institution that is “rooted in the past”.
The advice comes from a group of former Whitehall officials and diplomats, including former cabinet secretary lord sedwillHe said the department “often ran like a huge private office of the foreign secretary at the time” and was needed to deliver the UK’s long-term goals.
The group also called for changes to the “physical environment” of the grand Victorian building, “perhaps with less colonial photographs on the walls”, saying changes “could help create a more open work culture and send out a message about A clear signal from the UK”. future”.
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Mark Sedwill (right) and Matt Hancock in early 2020. Image source: PA
The World in 2040: Refreshing the UK’s approach to international affairs comes as the group – which also includes former No 10 adviser Tom Fletcher and former director-general of the Foreign Office Moazzam Malik – met in Oxford to discuss the change in approach Written later.
They said the UK “should not always see itself as a leader on global challenges” but should become more of a “team player” because “effective solutions to global problems in a multipolar world require a wider range of leaders” “.
The report said: “As we move towards 2040 and beyond, the UK will not be able to rely solely on its traditional alliances with the US and Europe to defend its interests in the same way.
“Globally, economic and geopolitical power will become more dispersed as regional powers – the ‘middle powers’ – exert greater influence on international affairs.
“This does not mean the UK will withdraw from existing alliances, but we need to build new issue-based alliances with countries whose interests and values may not be as aligned.”
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It calls for the department to adopt a similar approach to Canada and Australia, taking on climate change and trade briefings as well as more traditional aid and diplomacy tasks, and setting a target of 1% of gross national income for international engagement, in line with the UK’s pledge to increase GDP by 2% % for national defense.
The report also said parliament should set out “core objectives and tasks” “beyond the terms of individual ministers” and that the current parliament “is working hard to provide clear tasks, priorities and resource allocations”.
“The UK has often tried to project a ‘great’ image to the world, but this now appears to be out of fashion,” the report said. “We can be envied for what we are good at, not for what we claim to be good at.
“This means the government working hand-in-hand with our universities, creative sector, sporting bodies, press and civil society organizations to enable them to be effective ambassadors for the UK and maximize the country’s huge ‘soft power’.”
The report also stated that although Merger of Foreign Affairs and International Development Back in 2020, the scheme was “seen as an opportunity to leverage the strengths of both sectors” which it has been “working hard to achieve”, adding: “A more effective approach requires a sustained focus on the areas that will impact the UK’s prosperity and security.” International challenges. ”
It added: “Regaining confidence requires greater self-awareness of our status as an ‘offshore’ nation.
“Countries such as Norway, Canada, Switzerland and Japan have much to learn from as middle powers outside the EU that are able to use their size and independence to exert significant influence on the world stage.”
Sky News has contacted the Foreign Office for response.
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