UK ‘fooled’ by faith in international law, says Badenoch
Political journalist
PA MediaConservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Britain was “fooled” to believe that international law can maintain global peace.
In a speech on Tuesday, Badenoch said the UK should “review” its foreign policy strategy and put British interests first.
Badenoch hinted last week that she may advocate for the withdrawal of the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
She will speak in the midst of a critical week of international diplomacy, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron heading to the White House to discuss the Ukrainian war and with Trump Stable relationships between the government.
Badenoch will say on Tuesday that “the world has changed”, leaving Britain “not ready” to deal with the modern crisis.
Conservative leaders will argue that Britain must also change and act by protecting “boundaries, values and people.”
She would say: “Strengthening the UK must be the main goal at the heart of everything we do.”
“When facing a regime that disrespects the law, we let ourselves be fooled, believing that international law alone can maintain peace.”
Her speech will be delivered the day after a series of international events to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Discussions on peace talks have grown rapidly over the past week after U.S. President Donald Trump negotiated with Russia, which excludes Ukraine.
President Trump said he hopes to end the war quickly and claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin also wants to reach a deal.
Meanwhile, the rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky deepened.
Zelensky accused the U.S. president of helping Russia “out of years of isolation” before Trump was angry with the Ukrainian leader, calling him a “dictator” and suggesting that his country had waged war.
Sir Kyle will visit the White House on Thursday to raise a case of Ukraine’s direct involvement in any peace negotiations, warning that an unsafe settlement without security assurance could provide Kiev with inciting Russia to attack again.
The Prime Minister also indicated that the government’s approach to peace had changed, including strengthening British military support and playing a greater role in security in Europe.
Trump has been putting pressure on European NATO allies to increase their defense spending.
In his speech, Badenoch would also advocate for further investment in defense and argued that the government “must do its best to protect the UK”.
The Conservative Party has paid a declaration to increase defense spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, but has forced the workforce to further develop in recent days.
“There will be painful decisions about government spending,” Badonoke said.
“Any country that spends more on debt is destined to be weak in national defense as Britain is today.”
Badenoch will also reiterate her position that charities and other organizations are using the ICJ to “promote the activists’ political agenda.”
The ECHR is a central part of UK human rights law and has been used to stop deportation of immigrants deemed illegal in the UK.
The treaty has also been cited recently Palestinian families have the right to live in the UK After they initially applied for a program designed for the Ukrainians.
During the conservative leadership election, Badonoke said leaving the treaty was not a “silver bullet” to address immigration, but said last week that her party would review the ECHR and Human Rights Act.
A Labour spokesman said in response to the speech: “If Kemi Badenoch is indeed a “realist” and she said she is, she will apologize for the British people for the damage she and her party has caused to our country.
“Kemi Badenoch is part of a conservative government that hollowed out our armed forces, making us more dependent on Putin to meet our energy needs and reduced Britain’s position on the world stage.
“The Labor government is repairing the chaos in the Conservative Party and provides a core foundation for our change plan, with its core foundations being economic stability, national security and border security.”
