Cyril Ramaphosa, David Lammy and Keir Starmer
“The world is a dangerous, divided place, and this is a tough geopolitical moment with huge challenges for Britain, but I’m excited about the project which is reconnecting Britain with the global community.”
– David Lammy, foreign secretary, The Guardian, 7 July
Starmer could call in a few loyalty chips
Although Sir Keir Starmer, the new prime minister of Labour Britain, may sometimes come across as something of an uncharismatic robot, he, together with his foreign secretary, could soon be Cyril Ramaphosa’s new best friends. The foreign secretary in question is David Lammy, a graduate of the London School of Oriental and African Studies, a descendant of Caribbean slaves, and the first black Briton to acquire an MA in law at Harvard University. With Lammy’s help, Sir Keir could wean Pretoria off its corrosive dependency relationship with Vladimir Putin. The Labour Party’s win could have very positive implications for the new Government of National Unity in South Africa.
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Nothing if not a contrarian realist, the new Labour government’s foreign secretary is, surprisingly for a Labourite, also a pragmatic fan of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, having once called her a visionary leader.
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A burly, avuncular individual with an infectious laugh, David Lammy has form in skewering hackneyed British attitudes towards Africa. Most memorably, he attacked the charity Comic Relief (promoters of Red Nose Day) for perpetuating problematic stereotypes of Africa. He said the debate had to embrace a more constructive way, by establishing an image of African people as equals. A video featuring a white pop celebrity, meeting and “rescuing” a child in Liberia, was criticised as “poverty porn”. His view was that the world does not need any more “white saviours” who perpetuate tired and unhelpful stereotypes.
Nothing if not a contrarian realist, the new Labour government’s foreign secretary is, surprisingly for a Labourite, also a pragmatic fan of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, having once called her a visionary leader. The South African president and David Lammy are therefore almost certainly cut from the same cloth, both having a realpolitik approach to encouraging aspirational goals in society, but in a fair way.
The Labour Party and the ANC have, for decades, shared ideological commonalities, with an unwavering focus on workers’ rights, social justice and equality. These welcoming attributes are what attracted ANC stalwarts like Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki and Frene Ginwala, among many other exiled ANC members, to seek political sanctuary in Britain in years gone by. These included South African exile Lord Peter Hain, former Pretoria Boys High pupil, who subsequently joined the Labour Party and eventually entered a Labour government cabinet, where he helped to define the Labour Party’s posture towards the anti-apartheid struggle.
The historical alignment between the new British government, which has just taken office, and the ANC-dominated GNU, will encourage stronger bilateral relations and cooperation between the UK and South Africa. Given its traditionally sympathetic stance towards the global south, David Lammy will prioritise economic partnerships and development aid in African countries, especially those like South Africa.
“The world is a dangerous, divided place, and this is a tough geopolitical moment with huge challenges for Britain, but I’m excited about the project which is reconnecting Britain with the global community,” Lammy told the press after his appointment was announced. Financial and technical support will be on the table. Labour is very set on ethical business practices, and will establish a high bar. However, South Africa already has established governance procedures to counter unfair trade, money laundering and corruption generally, and this will give the Johannesburg business community increased entry to the British markets.
The government of Starmer is also committed to green policies to fight climate change, and this will fall in well with Pretoria’s own ambitions in this regard. Renewable energy projects, so-called “green technology” (harvesting wind and sunshine, for example), moves to alternative fuels such as ethanol from sugarcane, advanced agricultural steps to mitigate against global warming by reducing carbon dioxide output – these will enjoy targeted support from the UK, one may be fairly certain.
This could even extend to encouraging Pretoria to consider alternatives to the understandings with Russia regarding the possible replacement of the Koeberg nuclear electricity generation plant. In the UK, there are already advanced plans and designs for a number of far cheaper, small-scale reactors as an alternative to the big plants which have been the norm until now. “Small is beautiful” is the message when going nuclear.
With its knowledge of ports and harbours, as a maritime nation, the UK is also in the best position to assist in the refurbishment and logistical improvement of South Africa’s ports and harbours, as a counter to Chinese and Russian interests. With Russian trade already heavily compromised by EU and US sanctions, South Africa may find the international diplomatic environment more congenial if it holds hands with the new British government, rather than being drawn into the murky world of sanctions busting.
Although the ANC owes much to the former Soviet Union and Chinese for past support during the apartheid years, it owes as much, and more, to the British Labour Party. This now looks the better partner, diplomatically speaking, since the relationship is underpinned by shared democratic values, reinforced over decades, which is not the case with today’s authoritarian-inclined Russia and communist-run China.
Not only that, but the UK, with Sir Keir and David Lammy in the driving seat, could be of very real support for South Africa on the international stage. The Labour Party will be in the vanguard of potential reforms anticipated in several international bodies, including UN bodies, the International Monetary Fund and others, and could help Pretoria advance its international agenda and attract international investment in a way that Moscow and Beijing cannot.
Lammy speedily visited Germany a day after his appointment. The German foreign minister, Baerbock, and Lammy issued a joint statement:
We are tackling today’s challenges side by side: boosting our defence in Nato, supporting Ukraine and working for peace in the Middle East. Together we are joining forces to uphold democracy and freedom around the world.
The Labour Party is also the natural home of progressive stances on human rights, including gender equality, racial justice and LGBTQ rights – all themes being pursued by the ANC/GNU in its commitment to an inclusive society in South Africa. These are values not immediately on display in the Brics alliance, and so the new British government offers an alternative and more sympathetic platform to Pretoria in many ways, as the global picture unfolds more rapidly this year than it has done for a very long time.
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The Labour Party is also the natural home of progressive stances on human rights, including gender equality, racial justice and LGBTQ rights – all themes being pursued by the ANC/GNU in its commitment to an inclusive society in South Africa.
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The November elections in America may bring new populist political realities to the fore, in the same way that several EU countries have elected, or may elect, governments and parties on the right this year. A closer relationship with Labour Britain would be very much to Pretoria’s advantage in this scenario, not obliging it to pick and choose sides, as it were.
Britain now has the only new government of almost any of its major trading partners, which is on the left of the political spectrum. So, Starmer and Lammy will be well placed to capitalise on African dismay at a perceived rejection by the West – with countries like France reducing its military presence (a vacuum being filled by Russia) – and rebuild Britain’s relationships.
The other issues unfolding with dramatic speed are the war in Ukraine and the drama in the Middle East. No one really knows what lies ahead on either front, since the EU is already torn on whether there should be territorial concessions made to Russia in the event of peace talks, but the UK now has the advantage of a new government with an enormous mandate. This implies stability and, as such, a voice commanding respect, whatever the outcome, and Pretoria could certainly profit from aligning its own interests with those of the UK as events become clearer.
David Lammy will look to Pretoria to be an anchor in the southern Africa setting and possibly beyond, perhaps even in the Gaza-Israel conflict. His record shows that he is very even-handed on Gaza, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, but equally concerned to find a peaceful settlement. Until now, he has been on the opposition benches, but, with real power in his hands, there is no doubt that he will be anxious to consult opinion from Britain’s trading partners and allies, especially South Africa, which already has skin in the game on the Gaza issue, having launched a legal challenge for Israel at the ICC.
All in all, then, the new government in Whitehall will not only bring big changes to the UK, but is certain to be an important foreign source of domestic policy debate in South Africa itself.
Photographs:
Keir Starmer: Simon Dawson / No10 Downing Street – Number 10 Flickr page, OGL3 | WikiMedia
David Lammy: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street – Number 10 Flickr page, OGL 3 | WikiMedia
Cyril Ramaphosa: Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street – From: The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomes the President of South Africa for a bilateral meeting in 10 Downing Street during the South African state visit, OGL3 | WikiMedia
Kommentaar
There are many problems with this gung-ho analysis; respectfully, let me touch on three.
First, the narrative unfolds within the clubbiness of diplomatic slang—there are many deep historical knots to be untied in the UK-SA relationship, and these won't be dissolved over gin and bitters.
Secondly, the piece is fuelled by the new Cold War thinking - BRICS matters which is only one reason why the Chinese and Russians matter to South Africa's people.
Finally, the assumption is that the Labour Party is homogeneous - as we have already witnessed, it isn't.
We are not going to understand these matters until we are no longer prisoners of our wretched past.