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Britain still a world force, Cameron insists

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Nov 15, IRNA -- Prime Minister David Cameron Monday denied that Britain is in 'decline' internationally despite facing a record deficit, severe defence cuts and the rapid growth of economies such as China.

In his first foreign affairs address at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, Cameron was set to concede that the UK has lost 'respect' because of the state of the national finances but insisted the country is still a world force.

'What I have seen in my first six months as Prime Minister is a Britain at the centre of all the big discussions,” he said according to advance extracts of his speech obtained by IRNA.

'In terms of our role in the world, the truth is that many other countries would envy the cards we hold,' he argued, hailing both a 'deep and close relationship with America' and a 'strong and active' membership of the European Union.

'Our unique inventory of assets contribute to our political weight in the world,” Cameron was set to say, citing that its membership of the UN Security Council, the English language, the BBC, 'world-class' universities and a 'vibrant and tolerant society'.

'Producing the ideas, consulted for our experience and respected for the skills we bring and our capacity to find solutions. So I reject the thesis of decline.'

The annual banquet speech late in the evening at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, is traditionally used by prime ministers to set out Britain’s foreign policy and view of the world.

Cameron accepted that his government need to sort out the economy “if we are to carry weight in the world.” Economic weakness at home, he said “translates into political weakness abroad.”

On defence cuts, he argued that Britain still had the world's fourth-largest military budget and was the second-biggest contributor of forces in Afghanistan.

His argument was that Britain needed to be “more strategic and hard-headed about how we go about advancing our national interests. Foreign policy is “one of hard-headed internationalism” to enable Britain to earn its way in the world once again, he said.