UK’s Miliband, Streeting: What are their foreign policy, defence records?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Andy Burnham, newly installed as the United Kingdom’s prime minister after replacing Keir Starmer, has moved quickly to reshape the cabinet and promise an end to years of leadership turmoil. After taking office on Monday, Burnham removed several figures associated with Starmer, including Rachel Reeves and David Lammy, and brought back allies ahead of his first cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The most consequential appointments for international affairs are Ed Miliband as foreign secretary and Wes Streeting as defence secretary. Miliband, a former Labour leader and MP for Doncaster North since 2005, is known for opposing UK military action against Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria in 2013 after the Ghouta chemical attack. Al Jazeera says he more recently pushed Starmer on Palestinian statehood recognition and opposed UK involvement during US and Israeli attacks on Iran, a stance that reportedly contributed to tensions with US President Donald Trump.

Miliband also brings a high-profile climate record, having championed net zero goals and restrictions on new North Sea oil and gas licences, policies criticised by Trump and some Burnham allies concerned about energy costs. Streeting, by contrast, is described as having little defence experience. A former health secretary and MP for Ilford North, he has spoken only occasionally on defence matters, and former army chief Richard Dannatt criticised the choice before it was confirmed.

Al Jazeera highlights Streeting’s evolving public position on Israel and Gaza: long associated with Labour Friends of Israel, he initially followed Labour’s line after October 2023 but later became more critical of Israel’s conduct while rejecting the term genocide. The appointments matter because Burnham’s new government must manage relations with Washington, policy on the Middle East, defence readiness and the political fallout from cabinet changes.