What will be the effect of a Labor victory on UK foreign policy and on world geopolitics?

Elin Roberts, a geopolitics and public policy analyst who lives in Paris, discusses the impact of a Labor victory on UK foreign policy and on world geopolitics...

The Labour Party's victory highlights a very symbolic change for the Government of the United Kingdom.

One reason is that 11 of the 22 ministers in Starmer's Cabinet are women. This is the first time in the history of the United Kingdom that so many women have a place in the Cabinet and for the country to have a female Chancellor.

96% of Cabinet members have been educated in state schools - the highest number ever to have been educated in state schools and not in private schools. Only 4% of the Cabinet have been educated in a private school, the lowest number ever since Clement Attlee's Cabinet in 1945 where 25% of the Cabinet had been educated in a private school.

Although we are seeing very symbolic changes to members of the UK Government, what changes can we expect to see to UK foreign policy and the country's role within world geo-politics?

Within the first days in office, Keir Starmer announced that he was putting a stop to the Rwanda policy saying that the policy of sending immigrants there was too costly and that it did not prevent migration to Britain. A move that has been approved by human rights groups across the world.

Looking at the Labour Party manifesto, there is a lot of emphasis on working for global security, European security and to strengthen NATO. In addition to that, there is a plan to expand the foreign trade of British businesses while working with global partnerships such as the WTO and the OECD to modernise international trade.

Also, we see that there is a plan for the UK to be a climate leader by working together with world leaders to support countries that are affected by climate change while also suggesting strategies to adapt to the effects of climate change. Another commitment we see is for the UK to increase the percentage of official development assistance to 0.7% of GDP.

Discussion with Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Since Keir Starmer started in his role, the first discussions he had with foreign leaders were with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. With Joe Biden, he confirmed his desire to continue working with the United States and to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. In Volodymyr Zelenskyy's case he reiterated his support for Ukraine in the war against Russia and discussed his strategy for the NATO summit.

Keir Starmer has also called for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Apart from the steps taken by the Prime Minister, we have also seen the new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy take action.

In his statement David Lammy said he would focus on reconnecting Britain with the world while working on increasing the security and prosperity of the country by starting work on issues relating to Europe, climate change and collaboration with the global South.

UK support for Ukraine

During his first day as Foreign Minister, David Lammy had phone calls with his counterparts in the following countries: Ukraine, United States, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, Cayman Islands, and Guyana (Guyana).

The calls with Ukraine and the US reinforced the UK's support for Ukraine in the war against Russia, the UK's plan to improve European security, and to continue working closely with the US on security issues .

Although the Labour Government does not want to rejoin the European Union, David Lammy has started to get closer with European countries and that within a short period of time. In the months before the election, David Lammy tried to get closer to the Government in France by organising many meetings with the government, participating in events, and writing articles for the French press.

Keeping the peace in Ireland

His first call with Ireland was very symbolic to emphasise the importance of keeping the peace in Ireland while also supporting his desire to collaborate more closely with the EU - his first trips abroad were to Germany, Poland, and Sweden. This supports the UK's desire to work very closely with the EU and to strengthen the relationship with NATO.

His call with the United Arab Emirates shows that the UK wants to play an important role in creating peace and achieving a ceasefire in the Middle East. This is supported by the fact that Starmer has called on the Israeli leader to declare an immediate ceasefire in Palestine.

Speaking to the leader of the Cayman Islands, Juliana O'Connor-Connolly, which is a British overseas territory - David Lammy reiterated his support for the island in the Caribbean to deal with Hurricane Beryl and also to support small islands around the world to come more resilient to climate change.

A symbolic conversation with the President of Guyana

Another symbolic conversation was with the President of Guyana. On one side it is symbolic as David Lammy is a citizen of Guyana as his parents are from the country, but it is also symbolic geo-politically. In recent months there have been many tensions between Venezuela and Guyana as the leader of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, tried to claim that the Essequibo area of Guyana is part of Venezuela - and that because oil has been discovered in the area.

When negotiating with Guyana, Lammy responds to his family's history but also shows the UK's willingness to provide assistance to Guyana should Maduro increase the tensions. It raises the question of whether the UK will be more active in South America within the next few months and years?

Since taking up his post he has been talking to the Indian Foreign Minister - the UK's historic partner and a very important partner in Asia to balance China's influence within the area.

Considering the start of David Lammy in his new post, what can we expect in terms of UK foreign policy and the UK's role in the world within the next few months?

A Global partner

David Lammy's first days in office show that strengthening relations with the European Union and strengthening European security through NATO are at the top of his list. Moreover, we see a plan to connect more and more with the global south which is shown with his response to questions about Palestine, his connection with South America, the Middle East and in Asia. We see a plan to limit the influence of Russia and China while showing that the UK is back and that it is a global and reliable partner. It is expected to see more steps and plans regarding how the UK will become a leader to tackle climate change and to support the nations most at risk of its effects.

The coming months and years will be very interesting for the UK's status on the world stage. But, it must be remembered that the UK's financial situation will determine the extent and success of David Lammy's foreign policy - especially when considering Official Development Assistance (ODA).

This article was originally published in Welsh for Golwg.