Cameron insisted the UK and its allies are “making some progress” on promises by Israel to increase aid to Gaza, including being “remove close to getting a temporary harbor up and running.” He also said Hamas must release more than 100 Israeli hostages it has held since its October 7 attacks on Israel.
Europe defense call
Cameron, a former British prime minister, spoke at the UK’s National Cyber Security Center after what had been billed as his first major speech since returning to government in November.
He used the address to chide European allies who “seem unwilling to invest [in defense] even as war rages on our continent,” and urged NATO allies to set a “new benchmark” of spending 2.5 percent of GDP on defense ahead of a summit to mark the 75th anniversary of NATO on July 9-11.
The UK has pledged to hit 2.5 percent by 2030. The opposition Labor Party has refused to copy the pledge, saying the government has not spelled out how it will be funded.
Cameron said “security is definitely on the ballot paper” at the UK general election, expected this autumn.
“From Talinn to Warsaw, from Prague to Bucharest, a chill has once more descended across the European continent, with those nations closest to Russia seeing what is happening in Ukraine and wondering if they will be next,” he said. “This is 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 — not in a year or two, not in a few months, but now.”
Cameron, who quit as PM in 2016 after losing a referendum bid to keep the UK in the European Union, said: “Yes, I supported remaining in the EU, but I am now laser-like focused on ensuring Britain and the EU have the best possible relationship — not as members, but as friends, neighbors and partners.”
On Britain’s wider push to seal post-Brexit trade talks, he added: “We’re not going to sign a free trade deal just for the sugar rush of the press release. “You only get one chance to do these things properly.”
