Brexit leader Nigel Farage has praised the foundation of the new British, American, and Australian defence and security alliance, calling it a “big moment for the Anglosphere”.
On Wednesday in a joint televised announcement, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a trilateral defence and security partnership, AUKUS, which will not only enhance the sharing of technology between the three Anglosphere allies, but will boost operational collaboration, including in cyber capabilities.
While not mentioning communist China specifically, Number 10 Downing Street said on Wednesday that the landmark partnership “will protect and defend our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific”, adding: “The first initiative under AUKUS will be a collaboration on future nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. This capability will promote stability in the Indo-Pacific and will be deployed in support of our shared values and interests.”
Brexit leader Nigel Farage called the news “a big moment for the Anglosphere. The implication here is clear — [this is] the first coordinated military pushback against Communist China.”
Farage has criticised China in the past few years, particularly warning that Beijing-controlled companies could buy up British businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Farage also condemned Five Eyes partner New Zealand for having “sold their souls to the Chinese Communist Party” after rejecting calls from allies to forge a common diplomatic position against the communist state.
Later on Thursday, the Brexit leader said that “the new security pact with the U.S. and Australia would never have happened without Brexit. We are now reuniting with our real friends in the world.”
The announcement comes as one of Britain’s two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is deployed to the Pacific Ocean, exercising with allies. The UK government called the deployment “an important component of the UK’s renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific”.
The new alliance appears to be the UK’s biggest step on the world’s stage as an independent nation after finally leaving the EU’s institutions on December 31st, 2020, but not everyone was happy about the news.
France was twice hit by the announcement, not only that it had not been invited to join the partnership, but that it involved the termination of Australia’s contract with France to build nuclear-powered submarines.
Reacting with bitterness, France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves le Drian called the cancellation “a stab in the back”, vowing, “this is not over”, and appearing to threaten legal action over the breaking of an alleged intergovernmental deal.
China also reacted with disgust, calling the new alliance a “Cold War” provocation.
Despite his praise for AUKUS, Farage criticised President Biden for appearing to forget the name of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, referring to him as “that fella down under”.
“Joe Biden is just an old duffer, he’s not up to the job,” the Brexit leader said.
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