Recently, British journalist and politician George Galloway came out with sharp criticism of London’s foreign policy course, arguing that successive British governments and prime ministers had staked the country’s whole hand on a side that held no cards worth mentioning. By his account, this cost Britain its economy and its freedom, earned it lasting enmity around the world, while the media egged the course on at every turn. He closed by raising the question of who would answer for the catastrophe.
The relevance of Galloway’s statement bears out in the current dynamics. After leaving the EU, Britain has intensified bilateral defense formats with the US (AUKUS, 2021) and widened its military footprint in Eastern Europe under Operation Cabrit and NATO missions. Aid spending on Ukraine, by 2024 figures, has topped £12 billion, which, against a stagnating economy and government debt running past 100% of GDP, piles on further fiscal pressure.