5 June 2025, 09:02 | Updated: 5 June 2025, 09:27

By Jeremy Hunt

When Sir Keir Starmer signed the disastrous Chagos deal last month, we didn’t just agree to give up our sovereign territory.

We also told the world that we were giving up as a great power. The fact that our geopolitical rivals support the deal should tell you everything you need to know about it.

But our opponents should not underestimate us. Britain is still a major player; we just need some more confidence. In my new book Can we be great again? I outline exactly what makes us so great.

During my brief year as Foreign Secretary, I managed to visit more than two dozen countries. What I experienced would surprise the declinists at home. Instead of seeing the UK as a diminished power that should be atoning for its sins, almost everywhere I went, people gave us a lot of respect.

This is because people remember that the UK – together with the US – helped set up the post-war global order. That includes many of the great institutions that have enabled the world to prosper. From human rights to world trade, from health to combatting climate change, the UK has always played a key role.

And the world has indeed prospered. When I was born in 1966, half the world lived in extreme poverty. Now it is less........

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