England’s spring of discontent
In the UK, last week for the second annual London Defence Conference at King’s College, I was happy to see that climate change had not yet disrupted British weather. Tourists scurried miserably across the slippery streets, jackets buttoned against a cold London spring. But the weather was warm and welcoming compared with the mood among Conservative Party members.
The 14 years of Tory rule that began optimistically under David Cameron’s coalition with the Liberal Democrats is sputtering toward an end. Beleaguered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stepped outside No. 10 into the pouring rain to announce the next general election on July 4.
With Labour leading by an average of 23 points in the polls, few Tories expect another five years in power. So far, 78 Conservative members of Parliament have announced they won’t stand for re-election, beating the Tory retirement record set in 1997, the year Tony Blair swept John Major’s government from power. But in London, more is afoot than a change in the political weather.
Whether you meet with frustrated Tories or Labour grandees preparing for office, senior British politicians speak about cascading changes and rising instability around the world. They agree that Britain needs to spend more and engage more when it comes to the common defense, and they agree that traditional assumptions about Britain’s priorities and role in the world must be examined anew. Labour officials understand that national security remains a key area of potential vulnerability for a party desperate to get out of the wilderness.
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