Britain’s Place in the World: Linking Foreign and Defence Policy with Trade

At a macro level, Labour has spelled out some of its key focus areas, which are rooted in a ‘progressive realism’ that sees the UK becoming more active in promoting a values-based global order. In addition, Labour’s industrial strategy is clear on the need to identify, nurture and support ‘Global Champions’. These come from a range of industries and sectors, and are highly productive, export intensive and create thousands of well-paid jobs. Labour has made it clear that they understand the need to create a stable environment for these businesses to thrive and grow.

In this session, Nick will explore Labour’s latest pronouncements on how it sees the alignment of foreign and defence policy with international trade.

Nick Forbes, CBE, Senior Advisor at Strategy International:

Nick served as the Labour Leader of Newcastle City Council from 2011 to 2022, bringing more than £1.5bn of investment into the city. Nick was the (annually elected) Leader of the Local Government Association Labour Group for 6 years, and in this role was invited by Sir Keir Starmer to attend Shadow Cabinet meetings, representing the increasingly powerful voice of local and regional government within the Labour Party.

Nick served for 12 years on the National Policy Forum and for 6 years on the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. Nick has been Chair of Core Cities UK (establishing the influential Climate Change Finance Investment Commission) and Vice Chair of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority. He was awarded a CBE in 2019 for services to Local Government.