BRITAIN must end the “cancel culture” of hostile states like China, the Foreign Secretary has said.
Yvette Cooper risked a backlash by vowing to forge warmer relations with Beijing despite their ropey spying and record.
Yvette Cooper says Britain needs to end the ‘cancel culture’ of hostile states like China Credit: PA
The Cabinet Minister visited the authoritarian nation last week before flying to India for more meetings.
It came after Sir visited in January for the first PM trip since in 2018 – which drew a backlash from critics of the regime.
But speaking to The Sun, Ms Cooper said: “Look, you’ve got the second biggest economy in the world, another member of the UN Security Council alongside the UK.
“We have to engage with them. Lots of issues we disagree with them on. And I’m a former home secretary, so I take security issues really seriously, but we talk to them about security, about the economy.
“And I just think there’s been this approach from other parties, which is like a foreign policy cancel culture. Just don’t talk to other countries.
“I think that is wrong. I think that’s a really bad approach to foreign affairs, and it doesn’t stand up for the interests of the UK.
“It doesn’t stand up for Britain’s national interest. And we’ve seen it from lots of sides. You know, you see the Conservatives and Reform saying don’t talk to China.
“We’ve seen the Greens criticise our relationship with India. We’ve seen what the Liberal Democrats and the Greens say, don’t let the King go to the United States.
“You can’t operate that kind of cancel culture foreign policy. And I think all of the opposition parties are all doing that, and what we’re doing, what I’m doing as Labour Foreign Secretary is standing up for Britain’s national interest, Britain’s principles, and Britain’s values.”
Only last week MI5 warned that Chinese spies were posing as recruiters to trap government staff into revealing state secrets.
The security service said Beijing operatives were seeking “to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage”.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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