11^th November 2020

A panel-style webinar with Rt Hon The Lord Hague of Richmond, Tom Tugendhat MP, Neale Richmond TD, Sir David Lidington KCB CBE and Rt Hon Alistair Burt to launch the first publication by the CGE Foreign Affairs Policy Group. The publication is comprised of a collection of essays from CGE members, with a variety of backgrounds from retired diplomats and politicians to business, share a Conservative perspective in presenting a common approach on how this UK post-Brexit vision can be delivered by the government in a pragmatic way, whilst reconciling past divisions on the subject of the EU. 

The paper is divided into six sections, the first five adopt a geographical approach, covering the EU; the Middle East and North Africa (MENA); Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas and East and South Asia. Each section offers an overview of its respective region and the UK’s involvement, highlights potential future opportunities and dangers and offers practical suggestions to help the UK strengthen and expand its influence. The final section covers the future of UK-EU defence cooperation and considers the hard choices that the UK must make in regard to its defence spending and capabilities.

A common theme running through the collection of essays is that for the UK to realise its ambition to become ‘Global Britain’, continuing to work closely with its allies and neighbours in Europe will be of significant assistance; our foreign policies will rarely be contradictory but more often mutually reinforcing.

The paper is designed not only for Conservative members at all levels, but as a contribution to the ongoing discussions about the UK’s role in an ever changing and challenging world, where resources will be stretched and priorities must inevitably be chosen.