by Sir Ronald Sanders

Britain remains of sufficient importance to countries of the Caribbean and many will be interested in how the change of Prime Minister from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown will affect them; writes Sir Ronald Sanders. The one person of Caribbean origin in the Blair Cabinet, Baroness Valerie Amos, has gone but another person of Caribbean origin has joined Brown’s Cabinet – Baroness Patricia Scotland.

Guyana-born Baroness Amos held many positions in the Blair administration including Foreign Office Minister, Secretary for International Development and finally Leader of the House of Lords. She has now been nominated for the post of European Union (EU) special representative to the African Union. Dominica-born Baroness Patricia Scotland is the Attorney-General in Brown’s government. Undoubtedly, this is a remarkable development. It is the first time in British history that a woman is Attorney-General and the first time that a black person holds this important post.

Baroness Scotland had also served the Blair government as parliamentary under secretary in the foreign office, parliamentary secretary at the Lord Chancellor’s Department and recently as Home Office Minister of State for the Criminal Justice system and Law Reform. Between them, these two Baronesses exercised considerable influence in getting the Blair administration to pay some attention to the Caribbean.

Although Baroness Amos has gone at Gordon Brown’s behest, the fact that he has promoted Baroness Scotland to the post of the government’s senior law advisor will help to retain the votes of Caribbean people in the UK who have traditionally supported the Labour Party. But, it is to the new Foreign Secretary and other ministers in the British foreign and commonwealth office as well as the new International Development Secretary that the Caribbean will have to look to ensure that it keeps what little attention is given to Caribbean causes.

The new Foreign Secretary is David Miliband. While there is no record of his showing any interest in the Caribbean, there are indications that his views on some issues coincide with the expressed positions of Caribbean governments. For instance, even though Mr Miliband’s heritage is Jewish, he has criticised both the US and Israel over the Israeli attack on Hezbollah last summer.

On climate change, which is an issue of great concern to Caribbean countries, because of increased and more intense hurricanes linked to global warming, he has considerable interest and is sure to push it as part of Britain’s foreign policy agenda. He has also shown that he is not reluctant to face up to issues with the United States and last year he made it clear in a speech in the US that the challenges of climate change demand “strong leadership” from Washington if they are to be met successfully.

As I write this commentary no announcement has been made about Lord Triesman, the foreign office minister who had responsibility in the Blair government for relations with Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Overseas Territories, and the Commonwealth.

But, at least one of his subject areas, Africa, has gone to an interesting new foreign office minister who, while he will not be a Cabinet minister, will attend Cabinet meetings as necessary. This is Malloch Brown, who served as an aide to former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Anan, and who was critical of President George W Bush’s administration over Israel and Lebanon. He will also have responsibility for Asia and the UN. In many policy areas such as the middle-east and development issues, Malloch Brown’s and many Caribbean governments should see eye to eye.

The other appointment that should be of interest to the Caribbean is the Secretary for International Development. He is Douglas Alexander a close political ally of Gordon Brown’s having served in the past as his researcher and speech writer. Alexander has been Minister of Trade and Minister for Europe, so he should be no stranger to Caribbean issues in the current negotiations with the European Union (EU) for an Economic Partnership Agreement. To underscore Alexander’s importance, Gordon Brown has also appointed him the coordinator of the Labour Party’s strategy for the next general election. He will, therefore, wield considerable influence.

As for the new Prime Minister himself, he has shown little interest in the past in Caribbean matters. And, it will take some doing for the Caribbean to engage his attention for two main reasons. First, he now has both eyes on establishing himself in the minds of the British electorate as the man best able to lead them after the next general elections. In this, he has a fight on his hands and the opposition Conservative Party has wasted no time in making his life uncomfortable. Brown has set himself an agenda for change – change in education, health and housing particularly. It is an agenda that will occupy his every waking moment.

Second, throughout his period as Britain’s Finance Minister, Gordon Brown’s overseas preoccupation has been poverty in Africa. This is unfinished business, and the Caribbean will recede deep into the background as he struggles to tackle it under pressure from several vocal and influential non governmental organisations.

If the Caribbean is to engage this new Brown government, much work has to be done at the diplomatic and ministerial levels. And, the help of the Caribbean Diaspora in the UK will be vital, particularly as general elections approach.

Sir Ronald Sanders is a business consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.