Britain’s former top spook John Sawers (pictured) has warned Britain has lost its global influence – and laid some of the blame on David Cameron for failing to order airstrikes on Syria in 2013.
Britain’s former top spook dismissed Theresa May as ‘not a natural’ on the world stage in a withering intervention on her performance as Prime Minister yesterday.
Sir John Sawers, ex head of MI6, said he doubted Mrs May’s ability to boost Britain’s global standing in the post-Brexit world.
He said: ‘I don’t think she’s a natural at engaging on these big political issues with foreign leaders.’
Sir John also warned Britain has lost its global influence – and laid some of the blame on David Cameron for failing to order airstrikes on Syria in 2013.
He said the then Prime Minister ducked his responsibility by asking Parliament to vote on whether to militarily intervene in the civil war.
MPs voted narrowly against sending planes in and Bashar al-Assad carried on raining bombs down on his people.
And it left a vacuum which allowed Putin’s Russia to intervene to prop up the dictator, while ISIS terrorised vast swathes of the country for years afterward.
Sir John said: ‘We have made less impact in the world in the last ten years than we did in the 30 years before that.’
The former intelligence chief said that from the ‘period 1980 to 2010, Britain was quite an influential player in the world.
‘I don’t think since 2010 we’ve really had a big influence in global affairs.’
He said Mr Cameron’s failure to seize the initiative and order airstrikes has contributed to a loss in Britain’s influence on the world.
He told Prospect magazine: ‘David Cameron’s decision to refer the matter to Parliament rather than taking the responsibility on his and his government’s shoulders – and then Barack Obama ducking and diving the issue in the US – that led to much greater suffering in Syria as a consequence and it opened the door for the Russian intervention.
Sir John warned Theresa May (file pic) was ‘not a natural’ on the world stage and said British world influence was waning
‘Had David Cameron gone ahead with the original plan he would have had very strong national and parliamentary approval for that.’
Sir John said the chaotic fall-out from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the financial crash of 2007 / 2008, also contributed to the UK’s decline.
But he indicated it was Mr Cameron’s decision not to send in British forces in 2013 that marked a change in the UK’s role in world affairs.
When Russia annexed Crimea and sparked a civil war in East Ukraine it was France and Germany – not Britain – who led the international efforts, he said.
He told the magazine: ‘Germany and France were actively involved in dealing with the crisis in Ukraine, and the Russian intervention there. Britain wasn’t really in the room.
David Cameron (file pic) let Parliament decide whether to order airstrikes on Syria in 2013. MPs voted narrowly against sending planes in and Bashar al-Assad carried on raining bombs down on his people
‘It’s another example of us not really being engaged in the biggest issues on the global agenda.’
He was also doubtful that Britain’s special relationship with the US would be boosted much by Donald Trump’s presidency.
He said: ‘Right now we have ended up turning our back on Europe and not having a real welcome mat laid out for us in Washington.
‘And we’ve got to work out which way we want to turn and be prepared to pay a price one way or the other.’
‘One thing I don’t think we can accept is Britain adrift. A Britain without a major strategic anchor in the western world.’