Tom Tugendhat endorses CANZUK

The Conservative Friends of CANZUK invited all leadership candidates to endorse CANZUK as part of their leadership campaigns. We are delighted that Tom Tugendhat has agreed to do this. Please find his full letter below. We continue to extend an invitation to all other leadership candidates to endorse CANZUK. As Lord Hannan opined during our pre-launch event in June, it is ‘the most achievable object post-Brexit’.

Dear Mr Malik, 

Many thanks for your email, and for the vital work you do as Co-Director and Secretary of the Conservative Friends of CANZUK. As a Party, we are only as strong as our members, and I will always remember that. 

Let me begin by saying I am a great supporter of the principles behind CANZUK - it is an incredibly important alliance of like-minded nations that helps keep our country safe, and has the potential to become even more central to our security in the future. 

As you know, the safety of the British people should be the number one priority of any government - and making this country more secure has been what I have dedicated the past twenty-five years of my life to. 

I served as a soldier during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan - being wounded twice on active duty - and was deployed as an intelligence officer with the Royal Marines. I then worked to set up the Afghanistan National Security Council, and became the military assistant to the Chief of the Defence staff. 

In Parliament, I was the first to warn of the dangers posed by China, Russia and Iran and refused to back down from their threats. The tougher policies we have on Beijing’s attempts to steal from us, Moscow’s to corrupt us, and Iran’s to undermine us have got me sanctioned by all three, but they have made Britain safer.

When I say I understand the threats we face as a nation, I mean it, having seen them up close on active duty and as a minister. Now, in an increasingly unstable world, our defence is more important than ever - and that is why I am committed to increasing our defence spending to three per cent of GDP, and to strengthening crucial alliances such as CANZUK, where we share so many values and interests. 

When threats can come in many shapes and forms from both state and non-state actors, it would be wrong of me to sign our country up to any measures that may tie our hands in a future where we must be nimble.  Because make no mistake, our enemies will try to prise us apart, and we must be able to react and do whatever is necessary.  We must stand united - and so I am fully committed to supporting CANZUK and exploring how it can take an even more prominent role in strengthening our mutual security. 

Best wishes, 

Tom