Letter from London: Could Starmer’s leadership crisis shift Britain’s approach to East Africa?

By Simon DANCZUK.

Our General Election in July 2024 saw Britain move from having a Conservative government to a Labour one under the leadership of Keir Starmer. Unfortunately, this has meant that we’ve now got a government which has less understanding of the real situation in East Africa.

The Conservative Party have had strong ties with Rwanda. Boris Johnson visited when Kigali hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in May 2022 – I also attended. Andrew Mitchell MP, the former foreign minister, has also been, and remains, a strong supporter of the country, and there are others too.

But the same cannot be said for Labour. David Lammy was foreign secretary immediately after the general election and he’s shown a complete lack of understanding about what’s going on in East Africa. He’s supported suspending aid and sanctions.

Lammy fails to understand Rwanda’s history and how it needs to protect its borders. He fails to understand how it won’t be bullied by former colonial countries. He fails to understand how Rwanda is a well-run and stable nation, whilst the DRC is chaotic and unstable.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Labour politicians have attacked Rwanda ever since the Conservative government signed an immigration deal – the Rwanda Plan – which Labour have now axed.

Starmer and Lammy are also very pro-European Union, they would take Britain back into the EU if they got half a chance, but the British public want independent, so wouldn’t let them. It’s hardly surprising that Starmer and Lammy have listened to Belgium, and other European leaders, who have a vested interest in the DRC, rather than what’s in the best interests of East Africa.

Will the British government’s attitude to East Africa change any time soon?

The good news is that Keir Starmer has just had a reshuffle, he’s moved all his government ministers around and sacked some. This partially came about because the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Angela Rayner, had to resign for failing to pay property taxes.

Whilst David Lammy, who is close to Starmer, has taken the role of DPM, he’s also been moved from being foreign secretary to justice secretary, something of a demotion. Yvette Cooper has moved from being home secretary to foreign secretary and this might just mean a more sensible approach. Cooper is a more pragmatic politician, she’s more independent and less tied to Starmer, so we might see more sense.

The bigger news in Britain, at the moment, though is why Starmer appointed, back in November, Peter Mandelson as British Ambassador to the United States. Mandelson, a former Labour minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was extremely close to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile who killed himself in prison.

Revelations about Mandelson’s and Epstein’s relationship continue to come out and Starmer has just had to sack the Ambassador. All this scandal undoubtedly weakens Britain’s standing with the United States and in the world more widely. It makes us look disorganised and not in control.

It has also significantly damaged Starmer. Questions are being asked about his abilities, his leadership and his authority. Some are suggesting Starmer won’t last more than a few more months in the job of Prime Minister, and they could be right.

If Starmer goes Britian’s perspective on East Africa could change again. Here’s hoping for a smarter British Prime Minister, one that understands East Africa better and is more positive about Rwanda.