DAILY MAIL COMMENT: It's time to drop the 'diplomatic politeness' and change your tune on China, PM...
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The scale and scope of China’s threat to Britain can hardly be overstated.
With Labour only too well aware of the dangers, its ‘diplomatic politeness’ towards Beijing defies explanation. The new paper from Parliament’s Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee provides a particularly withering assessment of the Government’s weakness and inconsistency on trade relations.
Following a distinctly icy spell in relations under the Tories, the 97-page report observes that Labour ‘has re-engaged with China without establishing the rules of the game required to protect British economic and national security’.
It also notes the Government’s failure to deliver a promised blueprint for ‘a strategic, long-term, consistent UK approach to China’. Little wonder Andy Burnham and his Cabinet stand accused of making it up as they go along.
No one disputes the importance of a good business dynamic with the world’s second biggest economy. Figures show that annual trade between our two nations now totals £140 billion (or roughly 7 per cent of all UK trade). But bitter experience of Xi Jinping’s regime tells us we should always act with utmost caution and, as far as possible, participate strictly on our own terms.
The report also notes the Government’s failure to deliver a promised blueprint for ‘a strategic, long-term, consistent UK approach to China’. Little wonder Andy Burnham and his Cabinet stand accused of making it up as they go along
Beijing’s insatiable hunger for gathering data on all aspects of British public life - business culture, education structures, the civil service, the Westminster ‘village’, MPs’ personal lives, IT systems and so on - has been an open secret for years.
Nor is there any end in sight. Little more than a month has passed since MI5 issued an unprecedented warning about Chinese state activity in our universities.
There is nothing to be gained by ingratiating ourselves with president Xi. Nor is there any benefit in remaining silent on how Britain should do business with China. For reasons of security and self-respect, the Government needs to set down some ground rules.
This newspaper has previously pointed out that Sir Keir Starmer allowed Beijing to play him like a violin. Unless his successor acts promptly on the committee’s report, the tune isn’t going to change.
Benefit blunders
It also looks like the Government is making it up as it goes along on welfare.
Following last week’s Budget, Chancellor John Healey clearly indicated that Labour would move to reduce the benefits burden before the next election. After Downing Street and the Treasury begged to differ, he insisted it was ‘not correct’ that costs would be cut during this Parliament.
But now Mr Healey has appeared to suggest that work will begin next year to bring the bill down.
Confused? The Chancellor certainly appears to be. And so, unsurprisingly, is everyone else. When he finally makes his mind up on what he is doing, hopefully he will be kind enough to let us know.
An off-key encore
A big disappointment yesterday for everyone who hoped they had heard the last of Rachel Reeves.
The former chancellor re-emerged to add her tuppenceworth on Labour’s push to rejoin the European Union. In a display of brass neck that will take some beating, she blamed Brexit for turning Britain into a ‘poorer, weaker and less secure’ nation.
If Ms Reeves really wants to know who is responsible for that, all she needs to do is look in the mirror.
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