Rishi Sunak has rejected demands by former diplomats and mandarins to remove ‘colonial era pictures’ from the walls of the ‘elitist’ foreign office.
Downing Street hit out at calls by the ex-civil servants for a major rebrand of the ministry, including ‘colonial era pictures’ being taken off the walls of its grand headquarters.
No 10 said the Prime Minister is proud of Britain’s history and insisted that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is doing important work to promote the country’s interests abroad.
Asked about the controversial new report that accused David Cameron’s department of being ‘rooted in the past’, the PM’s official spokesman told reporters: ‘I don’t think he would agree with that assessment at all.
‘The Foreign Office is doing vital work to protect and promote UK interests abroad and he fully supports the work of the Foreign Office and indeed the Foreign Secretary in achieving those objectives.’
Rishi Sunak last night rejected demands by former diplomats to remove ‘colonial era pictures’ from the walls of the ‘elitist’ foreign office
Downing Street has hit out at calls by ex-civil servants for a major rebrand of the ministry
The impressive neoclassical interior of the FCDO was the location for a press conference with then president Donald Trump and PM Theresa May in June 2019
The pamphlet – written by former Cabinet Secretary Lord Sedwill, ex-Foreign Office director general Moazzam Malik and former ambassador Tom Fletcher – calls for a radical reform of UK foreign policy to reflect the country’s ‘less influential’ place in the world.
It said Britain’s attempts to project an image of greatness to the world ‘today seems anachronistic’ and that we should not try to ‘see ourselves as the leader’ in tackling global challenges.
Instead the country should show greater ‘self-awareness’ and ‘humility’ and be ‘ready to follow’.
Rather than seeing itself as on a par with Germany and France, Britain should accept it is a ‘mid-sized power’ with ‘much to learn’ from the likes of Norway and Switzerland, the paper argues.
The report also says the UK cannot ‘brush aside concerns’ about its ‘historical legacy’, warning: ‘Former colonies are making increasingly vocal demands around the need for reparations from colonialism and compensation for the loss and damage arising from historical industrial emissions.’
It is scathing about the FCDO, saying its ‘very name’ is ‘anchored in the past’ while its buildings off Whitehall show it is ‘somewhat elitist and rooted in the past’.
In an academic report today, former Civil Service leader Lord Sedwill (pictured) and two former ambassadors called for radical reform of the foreign office
‘Modernising premises – perhaps with fewer colonial era pictures on the walls – might help create a more open working culture and send a clear signal about Britain’s future?’ it adds.
The ministry itself should be rebranded as the Department for International Affairs (or Global Affairs UK) to ‘signal a forward-looking ambition’.
The report also accuses the ministry of ‘struggling to deliver a clear mandate, prioritisation and resource allocation’.
‘The Foreign Office all too often operates like a giant private office for the Foreign Secretary of the day, responding to the minister’s immediate concerns and ever-changing in-tray,’ it says.
And it says the recent merger with the international aid department as ‘struggled to deliver’.
The report says a replacement department should be given new goals including ‘addressing climate change and biodiversity loss’ and ‘championing rights and responsibilities’ as well as promoting UK prosperity and security.
A new target should be set of spending 1 per cent of Gross National Income on its priorities, including ‘climate’ as well as development and humanitarian aid overseas.
An FCDO spokesman said: ‘We are maximising the benefits of merging diplomacy and development in the FCDO to better deal with global challenges, as seen in our responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in the Middle East.
‘We are committed to having an even greater impact and influence on the world stage – which is why we recently completed a review across the department to ensure we are effectively directing our funds, streamlining all our international policy work, and building our capability for the future.’