Election will decide “spirit of Britain in a changing world”, Lammy to tell Fabians

David Lammy will declare that the next general election will determine the “spirit of Britain in a changing world”, in a speech outlining Labour’s foreign policy priorities for the years ahead.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary will deliver the keynote speech at the Fabian Society conference on Saturday, in which he will warn that Europe is at risk of “taking our eye off the ball” regarding the conflict in Ukraine and describe President Vladimir Putin as a “ringleader of a new form of fascism”.

The Labour frontbencher is expected to commit to visiting Ukraine in his first 100 days in office if he becomes the next Foreign Secretary, “to demonstrate Labour’s long-term commitment to stop Vladimir Putin and begin work on a pathway towards Ukraine’s NATO membership”.

Lammy will also discuss the situation in the Middle East, restating Labour’s commitment to achieving a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza, its support for last week’s targeted strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and the need to prevent further escalation in the West Bank, Lebanon and the wider region.

He will stress the importance of “preventative diplomacy”, an area in which he will argue British diplomacy “has traditionally excelled, but which needs urgent revival”, and tell attendees: “We must return to diplomacy to stop the whole region descending into full-scale war.”

Lammy will announce that a Labour government would start “urgent diplomatic talks” on the creation of a new international contact group to coordinate with Western and Arab partners over Middle East peace.

He is also expected to reiterate Labour’s position on Palestinian statehood, saying: “It is, as Keir Starmer has said, the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the clear logic of any call for a two-state solution. That is why a Labour government will work with international partners to recognise the state of Palestine.”

On the climate, Lammy will argue that there is “reason for hope” despite progress being “too slow”, telling attendees: “We can change our future, with an optimism rooted in reality.

“In government, we will go further to deepen cooperation and drive ambition. If I become Foreign Secretary, in my first 100 days we will ramp up work on our proposal for a clean power alliance to drive forward the cutting edge of the energy transformation.

“And we will double down on work to reform international financial institutions like the World Bank to help developing countries deliver the clean energy infrastructure they need to decarbonise their economies.”

Lammy is expected to attack the Conservatives’ foreign policy record, arguing that Britain has lacked the leadership needed in a world characterised by “conflict, the climate emergency and the erosion of the rules-based order”.

He will say that Labour’s foreign policy will be underpinned by “progressive realism”: “Progressive because our foreign policy will be founded on our values of equality, the rule of law and internationalism. Realist because we will focus on making practical, tangible progress with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.”