Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that the world needs India’s viewpoint on the issues it faces and that the nation ought to be granted a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
According to Lord David Cameron, India is a prime example of all three of the following: robust economic growth, increased democracy, and a green transition to address climate change.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s keynote address, Mr. Cameron’s session at the Summit opened with a comment from the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. “It was great to hear PM Modi’s speech. To have that energy level at the start of your third term is truly impressive… I made it into a second term (as UK prime minister) but since then we have had quite a number of prime ministers. We have not had anyone having three terms since Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher before him. It (PM Modi’s third term) is very impressive because it means you have the ability to get real change, real things done in a very consistent way, which is what we are seeing in India,” he said.
Regarding the India Century, Mr. Cameron stated that a reset is necessary because the world has changed “hugely” since the establishment of the institutions following World War II.
“You see the rise of India, which will probably become the world’s largest economy at some stage in this century. So, obviously, we need a reset and countries like India should be at its heart,” he said.
In response to a query on his 2015 declaration that India ought to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Mr. Cameron stated that this ought to be India’s entitlement.
“We do need reform of the United Nations Security Council and I made this argument as far back as 2005. When I became leader of the Conservative Party, India was the first country I visited outside Europe. It was the first country I visited outside Europe when I became prime minister in 2010. I like to think that I was an early believer in the Indian Century. Obviously, a permanent seat on the Security Council should be India’s right in this changed world,” he emphasised.
The former prime minister of the United Kingdom stated that it was fantastic to see India join organisations like the Quad and the G20, but that it would take a long time to change these institutions. Additionally, he noted that India is frequently invited to attend the G7, practically as a regular member.
Mr. Cameron said it was unfortunate that the free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK, which former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had stated would be finalised by Diwali in 2022, had not been completed.
“I think it has not happened for a good reason. Britain and India both understand that you get only one chance to make an FTA and you have to make it a good one, which means both sides have to put more on the table. My plea, which I will be making to the foreign minister when I see him this afternoon, is that let’s make our deal as good and as big and as generous (as possible),” Mr Cameron said. “Of course, we have to cover scotch whisky and IT workers for India. We need Indian investment in the UK and trade with India, but also India needs the millions of jobs being created every year. So it is win-win, but we should both put more on the table and take some more risk, including political risk,” he added.
Mr. Cameron emphasised that this was crucial for India as well, since it would establish the norm for its relationship with the EU. The former UK prime minister said that there have been a number of occasions, such as the first successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 close to the Moon’s south pole, when asked when he believed that the West’s view of India changed. According to him, it was the year that Indian investment in the UK surpassed Japanese investment due to the Tata Group’s acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover.
“There have been so many moments in India’s recent history which have woken people up to the potential of this great country – the opening in 1991, the moment when it was clear India’s population would overtake China, this huge green transition and green investment, and the lunar mission, which was an extraordinary moment when the whole world saw what the potential of India is,” Mr Cameron said.
“My answer, though, would be a bit more parochial. It was the year when Indian investment in the UK overtook Japanese investment because of the massive investment in Jaguar Land Rover. Here was this great iconic business, Tata – obviously mourning the loss of Ratan Tata, who was an advisor to me as prime minister – an Indian company coming into Britain, taking over one of our most famous car brands, investing in it, growing it and improving it. That, to me, was a real wake-up call that this economy has arrived on the global stage and is going to do great things,” he added.
Cameron distinguished illegal migration from the UK’s anti-immigration rhetoric when asked about its potential effects on Indian students, who comprise the largest group of overseas students in the nation.
According to the former prime minister, the UK wants as many Indian students to attend British institutions as possible since it is a “great industry” for them and fosters strong links between the two countries.
He advocated for removing student numbers from immigration statistics, claiming that illegal migration from nations like Syria, Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan was the true issue facing the UK.
Mr. Cameron emphasised the need to restore behavioural norms, pointing out that the world is witnessing crises in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said he could not think of a clearer example in his political lifetime of one country invading another with no excuse or justification.
Mr. Cameron said that India has the credibility to act as a mediator given PM Modi’s previous visit to Ukraine and his impending trip to Russia for the BRICS meeting. “We need to get back to some clear norms. This country (India) has suffered terribly from terrorism, so has my own. We need to have an understanding that there are no good terrorists and bad terrorists. We need to get back to the understanding that a country’s borders are, or should be, inviolable… I know in the West we are accused of double standards and we have made mistakes, obviously referring to Iraq, but two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said.
Mr. Cameron indicated that the events occurring at China’s border with India are related to his remarks regarding territorial integrity. “When you see the most grotesque violation of a country’s borders, as you have with Ukraine, we all need to stand together and say to Russia that what has happened is wrong. India might well be in a position to try and provide some mediation, but it must be mediation based on the fact that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to take territory by force and be rewarded. We know from our history that if you reward people for taking territory by force, they come back and take some more,” he said.
Speaking of PM Modi’s 2015 welcome at London’s Wembley stadium, Mr. Cameron remarked that it was “quite an occasion” and “something you don’t forget”. “In the UK – if you’re lucky – as a prime minister or the party leader, you might speak to 3,000-4,000 people at your party conference. But to go to Wembley Stadium and introduce Prime Minister Modi, where you are speaking to 85,000 people, that was quite an occasion,” he said.
During that event, he recalled speaking about how his Conservative Party will appoint the UK’s first female prime minister, its first Jewish prime minister, and he was confident the nation would elect its first British Indian prime minister.
“When I said that, I did not know there was a young man in the back row, called Rishi Sunak. He was at that speech with Prime Minister Modi… PM Modi made a very powerful speech, I remember he was talking about the relationship between UK and India and he had this great riff on tea, movies and finance. It was Brooke Bond, James Bond and Rupee Bond. I thought it was a very snappy soundbite,” he recalled.
Mr Cameron also said it was an honour to serve as the foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak.
“I admired him. I think we was a very good prime minister. He is extremely hard-working, highly intelligent, very capable, very good at bringing people together… He had a very difficult inheritance, I think the year of three prime ministers was probably impossible to recover from, but Rishi brought stability,” he said.
“I think we can be proud that someone whose parents had arrived in Britain from India… that within two generations he has the most important job in the country. I think that reflects well on Britain… It is remarkable, it is a great testament to our country and to your talent that this is possible, and this has happened,” the former prime minister said.
