Brexit Is Weakening U.K. Role in the World, Top EU Diplomat Says

(Bloomberg) -- Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is eroding its own influence in the world without hurting the bloc’s ability to wield global power, according to the EU’s top diplomat.

Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, made the comments at a security forum in Singapore just days after European Parliament elections showed Brexit had upended Britain’s established political order. Both the ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party recorded their worst results in decades.

“For the moment I am afraid that the effect is more on the U.K. than on the rest of the union,” she said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum that focuses on Asia defense issues. “I see, and I regret, that this is weakening the U.K.’s role in the world, but I think it doesn’t affect the European Union’s role in the world.”

The U.K. now has until Oct. 31 to exit the bloc. Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed to step down in June, putting all forms of Brexit back on the table, with some seen as more economically damaging than others.

While Brexit has rattled the British economy and caused some international firms to move production out of the country, Mogherini said the country is “a cooperative member in foreign and security issues.”

British Secretary of State for Defense Penny Mordaunt sought to reassure attendees at the gathering, saying the U.K. remains a reliable partner committed to its long-held role in maintaining security and protecting values such as human rights.

“I would just take issue with the description of the U.K. being in political turmoil. It is true that life is not dull, but I don’t think we are in turmoil,” she said to laughter.

To contact the reporter on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz

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