Dame Priti Patel MP’s speech to the Hudson Institute - Feb 25

Today [Wednesday 25^th February 2026], Shadow Foreign Secretary, Dame Priti Patel MP, delivered a speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.

Please see the full text of the speech below:

“Well good morning ladies and gentlemen and friend and look it is a great privilege and honour to be speaking to mark the 80^th Anniversary of what was an era-defining Iron Curtain speech by Winston Churchill.

If there is one man who symbolises the bridge between the UK and the USA,

the Special Relationship,

It was Sir Winston Churchill.

From his Anglo-American parentage, to his belief in the combined strength and the shared values of the English-Speaking Peoples,

No-one person has done more to bring about the unity of purpose of the UK and the Unites States in defending our values.

And while that great and memorable speech was delivered 80-years ago,

It resonates today because it's themes and messages matter as we face new challenges and threats to our freedoms.

I am delighted to be here at Hudson today, to very much reflect upon how our two great democracies must once more come together with that unity of purpose to fight for freedom, just as we did in the years before and the decades that followed the Iron Curtain speech.

And I would like to thank our hosts at Hudson and our friends in Washington who are the forefront of our fight for the values and beliefs that have given lasting peace, freedom and prosperity.

“Freedom”, as the great Ronald Reagan famously said “is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation.” (Ronald Reagan).

And today, that responsibility falls to us all, as we are the generation that stands between Freedom surviving or falling.

With Western values of democracy and the rule of law under assault from multiple directions, we have to reaffirm the enduring values and interests that unite us and be forthright about what is dragging us down.

Only then will the torch of Freedom be forever bright and carried to the darkest corners of the world, giving new generations hope, peace and prosperity.

So I want to take this opportunity to share with you my reflections and thoughts on the threats Freedom faces, the malign forces, particularly who undermine us everyday and what our two great democracies can do to act to champion our values and keep the torch of Freedom shining bright.

Of course here is much debate as to how we have got to where we are today and the hostilities we collectively face.

In March 1946, as well as commenting on the Iron Curtain dividing our world, Winston Churchill made the case for Western democracies to stand together.

And he warned that if:

“that if they become divided or falter in their duty and if those all-important years are allowed to slip away then indeed catastrophe may overwhelm us all.”

So we took heed of those warnings on both sides of the Atlantic.

NATO was formed.

We invested in arms, technologies and new capabilities.

Through strong and assertive leadership, we lead a positive vision to enable citizens, our citizens, to have a future based upon prosperity, choice, the ability to have the freedom to succeed and reach their potential, without the fear and intimidation of the state.

Free enterprise and open markets grew and our horizons expanded, with new opportunities, our economies grew stronger and generated the wealth and prosperity needed to build strong countries and fund our security and defence.

To this day though, we still bare the scars from the Cold War.

Brave men were lost in conflicts, Korea, Vietnam and in subsequent conflicts elsewhere. The War Memorials in this great City stand as a tribute to their courage and sacrifice.

Over generations, British and American warriors have shed their blood in defence of liberty and freedom.

That enabled the West to stand firm for following five decades, and communism and its state sponsored tyranny was seemed at the time, was defeated.

Some of those nations stuck behind the Iron Curtain were liberated as the Berlin Wall fell thanks to the leadership and hope provided by Thatcher and Reagan.

And today those countries have been transformed from puppet states of the Soviet Union, to strong and vibrant democracies.

Some of them now are our closest friends and prosperous allies.

But while the geopolitical landscape changed,

And The map of Free countries grew, and some in the East were genuine in their commitment to change embracing Freedom and Western values,

There remained a dangerous and determined cabal committed not necessarily to the ideology of communism, but to the methods of control and the tools of authoritarianism.

They plotted and developed their long term plans.

George Kennan in 1946 as the acting Ambassador in the US Embassy in Moscow wrote,

“Everything possible will be done to set major Western Powers against each other. Anti-British talk will be plugged among Americans, anti-American talk among  British Continentals. Where suspicions exist, they will be fanned; where not, ignited. No effort will be spared to discredit and combat all efforts which threaten to lead to any sort of unity or cohesion.”

Which brings us where we find ourselves today.

Russia and their allies are countries which have grown their power and influence and have redefined warfare and tyranny.

Just over 2 decades ago, that danger emerged when soon after coming to power, Putin sought to interfere in Ukraine's Presidential elections, with the Orange Revolution bravely resisting.

This was followed in 2008 Russo-Georgian War.

And as the West continued to be focused on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,

And then failed to stand up to Assad in Syria and dithered over whether to act and intervene, Putin struck again, taking Crimea in 2014.

And now as we mark 4 years since his full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine, we see the full evidence of that.

But what makes today's axis of authoritarian states so potent is its geographical reach.

And by that I am referring to China.

With its assertiveness and the economic dependency it has created.

And its 30 year programme of military expansion, which has seen defence spending increasing from $25bn in 1994  to approx. $318bn, in 2024, that's a thirteen fold increase.

While western military spending has fluctuated, China has been relentless, and it is not just their military hard power that threatens us,

They have created an extensive network of spies, across our key businesses and democratic institutions, for one purpose, to destabilise and threaten us.

From their barbaric acts of transnational repression against Hong Kongers in Britain to cyber-attacks, against our democratic institutions, China is using economic exploitation and coercion to undermine international rules. Our rules based systems while assaulting our values, freedoms and sovereign interests.

And of course alongside Russia and China in the Axis of Authoritarianism are North Korea, who continue to pose a threat to our interests. And then of course there is Iran.

Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. A brutal and barbaric regime. A regime so murderous it has slaughtered a generation of freedom fighters, tens of thousands of its own citizens.

Iran commits barbarities against foreign civilians, through their terrorist surrogates, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis.

They threaten our interests at home and abroad.

And while they brutally suppress freedom in their own country, silence their critics and destroy the rights of their citizens and continue to pursue nuclear weapons to threaten the existence to our friends and allies, they threaten my country too.

The Iranian and the people, the Iranian people, and the world must see this tyranny consigned to where it belongs, the ash heap of history.

Confronting this Axis of Authoritarianism is the geopolitical challenge of our time.

They are united in seeking to destroy the international order, built by us and our allies.

They supply each other with weapons like the Iranian Shahid drones Putin uses to murder Ukrainians.

They support the proliferation of nuclear weapons and conspire to develop nuclear arsenals to threaten us.

They are committed to undermining our democracies and weakening the resolve of the West.

They have no regard or care for individual rights, values, dignity and freedoms. And sadly, within our own countries, we see those at home, assaulting our Western values, our rule of law and all that unites us by standing up for some of those who threaten our nations.

We see it on the streets of London when Iran backs and funds the hate marches that intimidate and threaten our Jewish communities with anti-Semitic chants.

So as the custodians of Freedom and Western Values, surrender and subjection to tyranny is not an option for us.

Our focus must be on the means available to us to achieve our national objectives, making the case for what is right, for peace and security at home and abroad, and across the world.

Our greatest leaders, knew what it took to be strong in face of threats to our very way of life and our democracy.

Military Might, Institutional Reform and Winning The Battle Of Ideas.

So ‘Military Might', does exactly what it says on the tin. We must match the military force of our adversaries, with superior deterrence and defence.

Modern deterrence is no longer defined by the nuclear component and advanced platforms alone.

It is based upon replenishment speed, ammunition depth, innovation, technology and resilient supply chains.

Political leadership requires the prioritization of production speed, surge readiness, with suppliers enabled to scale up and attract private capital to support long-term deterrence and demand.

Putin's war in Ukraine, reinforced a core and brutal lesson.

That our sovereignty depends upon strong economies, political stability, secure access to energy and critical materials to bolster our defence capabilities.

Without these resilient supply chains, our nations face strategic vulnerabilities.

And of course here in the United States, our friends have A renewed focus to invest in domestic production, building mini lateral strategic partnerships, with allies and friends in recognition that long-term resilience and competitiveness must never again be under threat again.

We defeated the Soviet Union in the Cold War in part because they could not match the investments in defence and deterrence.

And we my friends must do so again.

We must also ensure the transatlantic defence and security alliance through both NATO and our own bilateral relations with the US become rock solid.

The President deserves credit for pressing Europe into increasing its defence spending on national security by 2035.

But of course, we need to be quite clear on what that will be spent on.

There should be NO ambiguity on what constitutes ‘national security' spending.

And I say this, because in my country back home, we have a Labour Government, and Labour is trying to blend in its ‘net zero' energy spending into that figure to boost the numbers.

Our defence Spending, in my view is pretty clear. It must translate into real defence capabilities and not some kind of long term aspiration to promote Net Zero zealotry to appease left wing sceptics.

Hard cash and weaponry is what deters those who seek to threaten us.

We also must use our diplomatic might to stand up to our adversaries.

Many of you will have seen in the UK and probably rightly questioned this as well, that the Labour Government made this extraordinary decision to grant the Chinese Communist Party planning permission for a Super Embassy Spy Hub in the heart of London.

So let me tell you about this spy hub.

This site is next door to the strategic fibre cables which carry data to Britain's financial institutions including to the London Stock Exchange.

From this location, CCP spies will expand their operations undermining us all.

Pursuing more acts of transnational repression and spying. By the way, this decision came days before, Jimmy Lai, a British citizen was sentenced to 20 years for defending and speaking up for democracy and the freedoms Hong Kongers. All the freedoms that they should enjoy.

It is a source of great shame for Britain that our government chose to kowtow to China rather than stand firm, just so Kier Starmer could travel to China as Beijing's useful idiot in London and be photographed with President Xi while bringing nothing back home for Britain.

But this is just one of many examples of unforgiveable weakness.

When America and Israel took action last year to degrade Iran's nuclear weapons programme, the UK Prime Minister dithered and did nothing to support our allies.

To our great shame, he could not even give a view on whether he through the actions were lawful.

Where Britian's weak Labour Government capitulate, I can assure you that in the UK, the Conservative Party in Britain will stand firm in defending our country and our allies from these fundamental threats.

Our adversaries must know that they can never match our capabilities and that we will stand up to their threats and intimidation.

And the British people and our citizens must know that we will always put their national security first.

On Institutional Reform, it's time to face the facts that the rules based international order is not working.

Our enemies not only ignore it; they weaponize it and use it against us.

You may know that Britain has been on the receiving end of international lawfare, orchestrated by politically motivated Left-Wing Lawyers, judges and their Activists friends.

We have seen international committees and bodies that few have heard, but we all pay for, challenge and question our sovereignty over the British Indian Overseas Territory, the Chagos Islands, which is home to the strategically important US military base on Diego Garcia.

China, Russia and Iran all celebrated and worked to achieve this damming outcome.

But rather than stand up for our interests and freedoms, the Labour Government has backed down to surrender a British sovereign territory to a foreign government.

Now if it were not for the intervention of the President of the United States and the forensic deconstruction of this terrible Labour policy by my Party in Parliament, this sovereign territory would be in the hands of the government of Mauritius.

Together, the UK and America, that's my party and the American administration have worked to delay the ratification of this terrible legislation, and I want to thank white house team for listening to the calls of their British Conservative allies to stop this appalling surrendered.

And some of you may have heard the news this morning before I agreed to give this address, that the UK government, a government minister has now said they're pausing this legislation.

America has stood with us in our shared determination not let left wing politically motivated acts of lawfare undermine our shared defence and security interests.

My Party will keep fighting to stop Labour's £35bn Chagos Surrender.

And let me say something about why this fight to keep Chagos British matters.

The UK Special relationship is built on our shared history and values.

It extends beyond the personalities of those who hold political office at any one time.

And it is a source of comfort and security to know that our friendship has stood the test of time.

Together we have fought side-by-side in some of the greatest battles of the last century.

And as a result, our military, defence and security partnership is the closest of any two countries.

But Labour's Chagos Surrender and their approach to the use of the Diego Garcia, threatens the future of our Special Relationship by undermining that century of cooperation, goodwill, trust and friendship.

We cannot afford to put our defence and security at risk with this Surrender of sovereignty,

Because once we do that, there is no turning back.

And once Labour weakens UK control over Chagos and Diego Garcia, they weaken our Special Relationship.

Conservatives in Britain will not put that at risk and it's another reason why we are fighting so strongly against it.

Labour's Chagos Surrender is a timely reminder of why we must reform the international institutions being abused and manipulated against our interests.

Take for instance the so-called UN Special Rapporteurs regularly breaching the principles of neutrality and impartiality, whether it's comments about Israel or their interventions to support criminals and terrorists going through the UK courts.

Those acting on behalf of the UN are adhering to the standards we expect.

And then there is UNWRA, infiltrated by Hamas terrorists.

And when the UN is challenged over this, rather than reviewing or reflecting, they seek to attack and smear.

Now I can speak about this because during my time as International Development Secretary, I pressed for reforms on how aid money was accounted for on the practises on the UN agencies, including the sexual exploitation of vulnerable women and children in crisis around the world - that took place – by so called AID WORKERS.

These institutions have failed to stand up to scrutiny,

They failed to work on behalf of those they were meant to protect.

It was not the United Nations and its endless resolutions and rapporteur reports that brought the hostages back from Gaza and established the 20 Point Plan.

It was US diplomacy working with partners in the region and the direct leadership of President Trump.

It was not the UN that brought Iran towards the negotiating table over its nuclear programme,

It was US and might of Israel.

So for the UN and other global institutions to be relevant for the 21st Century, they must be reformed.

No more blank cheques, and we will use our influence, our financial clout, our seat at the table with our allies to press them to act in accordance with the values and principles they were originally established for.

And the more they mobilise their political supporters to criticise us for calling them, we will call for accountability and reform, the more we will press ahead for change.

The final word in our fight for Freedom on is on the Battle Of Ideas.

As Conservatives we believe in the power of markets, enterprise and democracy.

In free speech, liberty and meritocracy. But our values and beliefs are being undermined by Cancel culture and the woke disease has spread across our institutions.

People are being taught to hate our countries, our values and our past.

And being taught to promote and support ideas that do not serve our interests and weaken our economies and our standing in the world.

For while they seek to cancel us, because they know in a fair fight their arguments do not stand the test of time,

We must never step back from arguing our case, defeating them at the ballot box, and winning the hearts and minds of the public.

Making the case for the benefits of Freedom, what it means, what it delivers to improve the lives of families and generations, our communities is why we must keep fighting to defend our values.

To conclude, our mission today is one that pitches us in a battle for Freedom and for the very survival of our Western values and beliefs.

Since the end of the Cold War, our enemies have taken advantage of how we chose to use the cold war dividend.

But as custodians of our special relationship, it falls to us once more to win the great battle for freedom, as the future of peace and prosperity in the world once again rests with us all.

Thank you.

And God bless our two great nations.”