Labour and the Defence of the Realm: The Abandonment of Britain’s World Role

Abstract

In the general election of June 1970, Labour was defeated. Mr Wilson, who had presided over the nation’s affairs since Labour had first assumed office some six years earlier, returned to the Opposition Front Bench — perhaps to deliberate on the momentous changes in foreign and defence policy which he had both wittingly and unwittingly introduced.¹ In this deliberation he was not alone. There is no doubt about the lasting relevance of his decisions, although some confusion emerged about how they related to a broader foreign policy perspective, and inevitably also criticisms about the way in which they were made. The Cabinet seriously miscalculated its capacity to meet political commitments with diminishing economic resources.