Director of the British Foreign Policy Group, Sophia Gaston, spoke to LBC’s Shelagh Fogarty on the British public’s attitudes to military intervention since Tony Blair’s intervention in Iraq.

The discussion followed Richard Burgon, candidate for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party, announcing his idea for a ‘Peace Pledge,’ which would require the Labour Party to consult the grassroots Party membership before supporting any military action overseas. Sophia, citing research from the British Foreign Policy Group, argued that whilst the policy speaks to some genuine public feeling on military intervention, it lacks practical logic and is ‘simultaneously vague and restrictive.’

The research paper, written by BFPG Researcher Flora Holmes, found that: “in the absence of a perceived direct threat from terrorism on British soil, the UK Government will find it challenging to convince citizens of the validity of British international military activities – particularly the need for ‘boots on the ground’. While the welfare of our armed forces is considered paramount, Britons are also increasingly attuned to the impact of global conflicts on the long-term peace and security of developing nations, and uncomfortable about the role that we may play in exacerbating these.”

You can listen to the full interview here.

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