My Take | British defence minister more like Mr Bean
- Gavin Williamson says he is ready to send the first of Britain’s new aircraft carriers to the Pacific after Brexit, yet this is news to his boss and China must be seeing the funny side
The British defence secretary wants to project “unilateral” power around the world after Brexit and oppose those who “flout international law” by giving them a lesson in Britain’s “hard power”.
In what he no doubt considers to be a major statement on post-Brexit British defence posture, Gavin Williamson says he is ready to send the first of Britain’s next-generation aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth, to tour the Pacific.
Presumably, that also means the South China Sea, much of which has been claimed by Beijing as Chinese waters. He also wants a new military base in Asia.
China, behave yourself, there is a new sheriff in town. There is a catch, though, as the Queen Elizabeth won’t be ready until 2021, assuming it meets deadlines. Beijing must be shaking at the knees – from belly laughs.
In almost Churchillian mode, Williamson declared: “Brexit has brought us to a great moment in our history. A moment when we must strengthen our global presence, enhance our lethality and increase our mass.” Post-Brexit Britain needs to “project but maximise our influence around the world in the months and years to come”.
Britain urges the West to be ready to flex military muscle in Pacific
But didn’t the BBC report early this month that the British Ministry of Defence has a funding gap of at least £7 billion (HK$71 billion) and could reach £14.8 billion by 2028? The Bank of England has warned in a worst-case scenario, Brexit could cause an immediate recession with the economy shrinking by 8 per cent.