Cooper: Cameron ‘spectator not statesman’

Yvette Cooper, the shadow foreign secretary, comments on David Cameron’s foreign policy performance:

“David Cameron is playing the spectator not the statesman on the international stage. The reality of the prime minister’s foreign policy so far is a shrivelled role for Britain in the world at the expense of British interests.

“David Cameron chose to stand on the sidelines at the G20 and he has no strategy for global economic co-operation despite the risks to British jobs and growth. His political strategy of focusing on severe and rapid domestic cuts is blinding him to the seriousness of the world economic problems, and the wider foreign policy challenges Britain faces.

“Britain has fantastic assets, networks and values the world needs. People fighting against poverty, fighting for human rights, and fighting with our allies for a safer and more secure world need a strong British foreign policy engaged at all levels. The prime minister is letting that slip away.”