Brown — a former U.K. prime minister and chancellor who was hired by Keir Starmer last month to assist on global finance initiatives — has spoken to Carney and provided “a number of questions, which were entirely appropriate,” the diplomat added.
Blair, who is also a former defense minister in the Canadian government, said: “We’ve been working hard to make sure that we provide both Mr. Brown and the people at Treasury with answers to the questions that they have, and it’s just part of an ongoing dialog and negotiation between us.”
Two defense insiders told POLITICO Brown has also spoken to Isabelle Hudon, who leads Canada’s work on the bank. A representative for Hudon declined to comment.
Fresh hope for defense spending
Britain has so far resisted calls to sign up to the DSRB, which aims to provide AAA-rated financing to help fund the defense industries in allied nations.
Brown’s engagement on the topic will inject fresh hope among backers of the bank that the U.K. is warming to the initiative, after Chancellor Rachel Reeves previously appeared ambivalent about it.
A U.K. defense industry representative, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said Brown’s involvement is “welcome” after what they described as “foot-dragging” by the Treasury, adding: “If you want a clearer example of how ‘unwilling’ Treasury have been to raise defense spending, as John Healey made clear this week, you won’t find one.”
Andrew Kinniburgh, director general of Make UK Defence, said: “The prime minister needs to urgently rethink and ensure the U.K. fully participates in the DSRB as a matter of national importance.”