London: Britain’s Foreign Secretary has been demoted over his handling of the Afghanistan evacuation crisis and replaced in the prestigious post by one of Australia’s top allies.
Dominic Raab, who remained on holiday in the Greek islands as the Taliban swept into Kabul, was the biggest casualty of a cabinet reshuffle Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes will reset his flagging government.
Dominic Raab has been demoted following controversy over the Afghanistan evacuation.Credit:Bloomberg
Raab will be replaced as the third most senior minister by Liz Truss, whose post-Brexit work as International Trade Secretary has seen her popularity surge with Tory voters to the extent she is now seen as a potential future alternative to Johnson.
Truss was in charge of negotiating a new free trade agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom and stared down a push by protectionist forces within her party to water down the agreement.
She has a close personal friendship with Australia’s High Commissioner to Australia, George Brandis, and a good working relationship with former trade minister Simon Birmingham and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Brandis said Truss took on the role as the two nations deepened co-operation on the economy and security.
“Liz is a champion for the values we cherish, and Australia is delighted to see her take on this critical role at an important moment in our bilateral relationship,” he said.
“She has been a great friend of Australia during our free trade agreement negotiations. We warmly congratulate her on her new appointment.”
Britain’s new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is one of Australia’s closest supporters in cabinet.Credit:AP
Raab was demoted to the more junior Justice Secretary post during Wednesday’s reshuffle but was also named Deputy Prime Minister in a bid to save face. The Deputy Prime Minister title is rarely used in Britain and confers the holder no real constitutional powers.
Only four other people have ever been formally appointed Deputy Prime Minister: Geoffrey Howe, Michael Heseltine, John Prescott and Nick Clegg.
Johnson had faced calls to sack Raab after he went on holiday in Crete as the Taliban advanced on Kabul but initially stood by him.
Raab denied the holiday interfered with the evacuation of Afghans, British citizens and interpreters.
Gaffe-prone Gavin Williamson was also sacked as Education Secretary on Wednesday, as was Justice Minister Robert Buckland and Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick.
Truss had called for the world to “get tough with China” and has said the World Trade Organisation should refuse to treat China as a developed country, a status it currently enjoys.
She has argued that China benefits from exceptions to the rules that were made decades ago and no longer reflect its status as an economic superpower.
“The WTO was established when China was 10 per cent of the size of the US economy,” she told the Financial Times in an interview earlier this year. “It is ludicrous that it is still self-designating as a developing country.”
Truss said some of China’s behaviour has contributed to an erosion of trust in the global trade system and urged other countries to clamp down on what it sees as unfair subsidies for state-owned enterprises.
“This is the time to get tough on China and their behaviour in the global trading system,” she said.
The relationship between Truss and Australia temporarily strained in April when a member of her department told a British newspaper that Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan was “inexperienced” on the eve of his arrival to London for free trade talks. The unnamed official said Truss planned to sit Tehan “in an uncomfortable chair, so he has to deal with her directly for nine hours”.
The fallout subsided and an in-principle trade deal was signed by Johnson and Morrison in June.
With Reuters
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