Shadow defence secretary will use speech in Washington to call for European Nato members to contribute more
Britain must adopt a new, pragmatic approach to the "special relationship" with the US that is based neither on ideology nor nostalgia, the shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, will tell Americans in a speech in Washington.
He will also challenge a growing assumption that Britain should merely buy military equipment off the shelf from the US and say that European members of Nato must contribute far more to defence and to making their armed forces more effective.
"In the new security landscape we must assess where and when the UK-US partnership adds value. It is neither a prerequisite nor a luxury," he will warn. "We have vital and historic links which foster an undoubted and important solidarity. Neither ideology nor nostalgia, however, will ensure we benefit from our close links in today's world, and so pragmatism should define our approach."
Murphy will tell an audience of American defence industrialists on Wednesday: "Our publics are wary and weary. The US is experiencing international reticence ... At the same time the financial crisis has strengthened protectionist instincts, and so while multilateralist internationalism is more necessary than ever our scope to pool power is limited by sceptical domestic populations."
Murphy is conducting a review of Labour's defence policy, including the procurement of equipment and weapons. The government's default position was to "buy off the shelf", and that principally meant "buy American". The UK will regularly buy with or from the US because of its cutting edge technology and investment in very expensive systems. Murphy says his default position is "that for our core sovereign capabilities I want to make and buy British. Rather than buy from America, I want to learn from America."
However, reinforcing comments by Liam Fox, the defence secretary, Murphy will tell his American audience that Europe must pull its weight in Nato. "We're either all in this together, committed to playing our full parts, or we're not an alliance that will last," he plans to say.
The EU spends about �200bn on defence a year, more than any country except the US, and has 2 million European troops in uniform, but only 5% deployable at any one time.
It is important for Britain to make the case that Europe must do more on defence since the UK gained "power and influence in our relations across the world through our being a strong partner with European nations". Murphy will add: "Contrary to much conventional wisdom back home, the UK's transatlantic and European alliances are not alternative paths to influence - they should be mutually reinforcing."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jul/19/special-relationship-based-pragmatism-nostalgia
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