First of all, we must assert our complete control over our own foreign policy. Our withdrawal from the European Union would immediately free us from whatever involvement we might have in an EU common foreign policy with the High Representative and the European External Action Service.
We must not allow our foreign policy to be hijacked by other states. In particular, we must avoid any partisan involvement in the Middle East or exploitation by the United States administration of our supposed special relationship with that country. We do not want Britain to carry out the role of the world’s policeman. Our service personnel must not be sent to die in foreign wars in which we have no vital interests at stake.
We are not indifferent to the need to maintain world peace and we would use our permanent position on the UN Security Council to that end, but we would not send our servicemen to die in other nations’ conflicts. Our foreign policy must be dictated by the need to protect our people, territory, and vital interests.
We have no animosity towards any state or people, and we would endeavour to maintain peaceful relations with all. However, we would defend ourselves against any aggressor with vigour and determination.
Our opposition to sending our troops to die in foreign wars should not be understood to mean that our present level of service personnel is too high. We are aware that real threats to our people, our territory and our vital interests can occur at any time without being predicted by the security services. We must have the men ready to meet any threat to our nation at a moment’s notice.
Even in peacetime, troops can be, and are, deployed to deal with civil emergencies, including intentional disorder. They will also be needed to help to guard our borders against mass immigration.
Our troops must be in a permanent state of readiness and protected by life-defending equipment of the highest quality.
Britain must neither be a warmonger intent on pointless wars nor a nation of pacifists and appeasers. We should enjoy peace as a legacy of the strength and resolution to defend what is ours. Our forces have sometimes been weakened by ill-considered defence cuts, which have resulted in huge unnecessary expenditures. This is best exemplified by the removal of HMS Endurance from patrols around the Falklands Islands in 1981. This was seen by Argentina as an invitation to invade.
We are determined that Britain must retain an independent nuclear deterrent. A nuclear war would be a nightmare, but the way to prevent it is for responsible nations like ours to retain our power of ultimate resistance.