‘Will Support UNSC Reform, India’s Permanent Membership’: British Government

The UK believes that the Indo-Pacific region is no longer a tilt, but a permanent pillar of British foreign policy.

In its first major commitment to support reforms in the United Nations Security Council and India’s permanent membership within the council, the UK government released a refreshed defence and foreign policy review in the Parliament on Monday, 14 March.

The refreshed review read:

"Moving beyond IR2021, the UK will support reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and would welcome Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members.”

The 'Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a More Contested and Volatile World' (IR2023) goes ahead and builds on the review of 2021, which, at its core, had an Indo-Pacific tilt, placing strategic importance on the region.

A few years later, the British Government believes that the Indo-Pacific region is no longer only a tilt but a permanent pillar of the UK’s foreign policy. Moreover, the UK government hopes to build a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.

"On the UN Security Council, this is the first time we have it within a UK policy document and putting it before Parliament that we will support UNSC reforms. That is an evolution in the UK's position. We also say that we support permanent African membership," a foreign affair spokesperson of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told news agency PTI.

The IR2023 also affirms its dedication to enhancing the existing bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, executing the UK-India 2030 Roadmap, backing India's G20 presidency, accelerating talks regarding an FTA, reinforcing the defense and security alliance, promoting joint efforts on technology, and spearheading the maritime security pillar of India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

The review also said that China poses an “epoch-defining challenge” to the UK’s vision of international order, “both in terms of security and values, and so our approach must evolve.” The UK said that it would work with partners in Beijing on issues like climate change but sharply clarified: 

“But where there are attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to coerce or create dependencies, we will work closely with others to push back against them."

Throughout the review, the core theme remains the Indo-Pacific, and the document also lays greater focus on British relations with Europe following Brexit. 

"The security and prosperity of the Euro-Atlantic will remain our core priority, bolstered by a reinvigoration of our European relationships. But that cannot be separated from our wider neighbourhood on the periphery of our continent and a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the review said. 

Moreover, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)  will also provide an additional GBP 20 million in funding to the BBC World Service to ensure that it can continue to provide 42 language services around the world. 

"This one-off funding will allow the BBC World Service to maintain its unrivalled status as the world's largest international broadcaster and to continue playing its crucial role in tackling harmful disinformation through providing trusted, impartial news and analysis globally," Cleverly said.