David Cameron hunting for Tory votes in Oz and abroad
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron is using new electoral rules to win votes of older UK citizens abroad to try to stem political bleeding ahead of July 4’s poll.
British Foreign Secretary and former prime minister David Cameron is using new electoral rules to win the votes of Tory-leaning older British citizens abroad in a last-ditch attempt to stem political bleeding, less than four weeks out from the July 4 election.
In his pitch to about 1.3 million prospective voters in Australia, Lord Cameron warned that only Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party could be trusted on nuclear deterrence, regional security and economic strength.
Lord Cameron, who returned the Tories to power in 2010 before winning majority government in 2015, was drafted back into politics by Mr Sunak and appointed foreign secretary in November last year.
Following a series of political gaffes, Mr Sunak was forced to apologise on the weekend after leaving 80th anniversary D-Day events in France early to film a television interview.
As the Conservative Party braces for an electoral bloodbath after 14 years in office, Lord Cameron has launched a global push for votes intended to invoke support for the Tories among older British expats.
After Labour previously introduced an arbitrary 15-year limit to end lifetime voting rights for British residents living abroad, the Conservative government changed the rules this year allowing more expats to cast votes.
With Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the box seat and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK expected to steal right-wing votes, Lord Cameron described the election as “one of the most important in our lifetimes”.
Lord Cameron, who travelled to Adelaide to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles in March, said “the Conservatives’ commitment to the Indo-Pacific is rock solid”.
“We place huge importance on this region, and its security and prosperity,” Lord Cameron told The Australian.
“The Conservatives are the only party at this UK general election with a credible plan on defence. We are the party that has committed to 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending by 2030, and are unified in our commitment to Britain’s nuclear deterrent.”
The Conservative Party has raised concerns about Labour’s commitment to Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent, which since April 1969 has involved a Royal Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine patrolling the seas undetected at all times. Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and Sir Keir’s pick for foreign secretary, David Lammy, have previously opposed Britain’s longstanding nuclear deterrent policy.
Seeking to win the votes of Britons in Australia, Lord Cameron invoked the importance of the AUKUS defence pact and said the “enduring bond between the UK and Australia has never been stronger, or more important”.
“Together, the UK and Australia are addressing pressing global challenges. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and through our AUKUS partnership we are supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific. The co-operation between our two countries is greater than ever,” he said.
Lord Cameron, who led the Conservative Party between 2005 and 2016, said “with threats rising across the world, Britain needs a clear plan and bold action”.
“We are living in a world more dangerous, more volatile, more confrontational than most of us have ever known. We need to face up to that fact and act accordingly. Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives will.
“We have committed to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, and we’ve led the world in our support for Ukraine. Here at home, we’ve got inflation down, we’ve got a growing economy, and we’ve been able to cut national insurance. The ship is much steadier.”
The rule change increases the number of overseas British citizens eligible to register to more than three million.
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