No legislative decisions made yet – UK

The British high commission in Namibia says its government is yet to set up a legislative agenda, indicating that the United Kingdom (UK) is not set on its Labour Party’s anti-trophy hunting bill.

“While the legislative session for the newly formed government will be set out in King Charles’ speech, there is currently no legislation before parliament and no decision has been taken on this issue,” the high commission says.

Namibia’s high commissioner to the UK, Linda Scott, last week said Namibia, together with other affected southern African countries, namely Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, is disappointed with the Labour Party’s commitment to an anti-trophy hunting bill.

NO MORE IMMIGRATION

British high commissioner to Namibia Charles Moore last week said the new government would be setting out its detailed position on a range of priorities, including its immigration policy.

“On 6 July the prime minister, Keir Starmer, confirmed that the Rwanda Scheme would be discontinued. On 7 July the home secretary Yvette Cooper announced the first steps to establish a new UK Border Security Command,” he said.

Moore said the border security commander would provide strategic direction to work across various agencies “to better protect our borders and go after the smuggling gangs facilitating small boat crossings”.

POLICY ALIGNMENT

Former ambassador Pius Dunaiski believes the Labour Party’s policies align with those of Namibia.

“I’m saying that very cautiously, because since the UK had Brexit, it changed its foreign policy posture quite dramatically. The government could only be a good thing for us, strengthening our relationships and so on, because we have a stronger historical bond,” he said yesterday.

He explained the role the Labour Party has played in Namibia’s liberation.

“The Labour Party played a big role in supporting the anti-apartheid movement in the UK,” he said.

The former ambassador said this could only strengthen bilateral relations between the UK and Namibia.

“I have no doubt that there will be a greater realignment between us and the Labour Party than with the Conservatives,” he said.

Another former ambassador, Tuliameni Kalomoh, last week told Desert Radio that Western countries do not change their exploitative spots.

“All the Western countries have the same policies of exploitative relations with developing countries. So, I don’t see any change in the British foreign policy towards Africa,” he argued.

He said the scrapped immigration policy was a poor policy.

“The refugees going to Britain are essentially from countries to which British policy of aggression, of blindly following the American war mongering, has cost refugees in the first place. “Where are these refugees coming from? From Afghanistan? From the Middle East, Syria, Iraq,” the ambassador said.

He said the British have interfered with all these countries.

“So they have an obligation, moral, political and economic, to support those refugees, to which they have made a contribution in creating,” he said.