Miliband calls for Britain to help rebuild international order

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has called for Britain to help rebuild the international order, saying democratic norms and the rule of law were under unprecedented pressure. Speaking at the Labour Party conference, Miliband said war had returned to Europe and that new threats, including climate change and artificial intelligence, required a response based on democratic values and international cooperation. He said Britain would use its presidency of the G20 next year to lead efforts to manage AI.

Miliband argued that technology companies should not be left to set public-interest safeguards themselves because their primary purpose was to maximise profit. The foreign secretary also called for a stronger and deeper partnership with the European Union. He said Europe was not only Britain’s geography but also a framework through which the country pursued its values, interests, trade, defence and security.

On the Middle East, Miliband said Labour had heard people who believed the party had not done enough to challenge Israel over its actions in Gaza. He said the government would oppose ethnic cleansing and alleged war crimes, ban imports from illegal settlements and disrupt British links to those settlements. He described defence investment as a core part of foreign policy and said Russia’s war in Ukraine placed Europe’s future security at stake.

He argued that allowing force to defeat sovereignty would endanger the continent. Miliband also linked climate policy to national security, warning that parties which denied or delayed action would leave Britain less safe. He said the government would continue fighting for democracy, rights and freedoms.