The Mishal Husain Show David Miliband on Global Disorder, Labour’s ‘Mistakes’ and Deploying $1 Billion on Crises
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Feb 6, 2026 David Miliband, former UK foreign secretary and now president of the International Rescue Committee, reflects on a world with rising autocracy and shrinking aid. He talks about frontline humanitarian crises like Sudan and the occupied Palestinian territory. He discusses the changing US role, debates over reconstruction plans, and political challenges facing Labour and UK foreign aid.
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Refugee Roots Shaping Purpose
- David Miliband recalls both his parents arriving in the UK as refugees and how that shaped his connection to displaced people.
- He applied to lead the IRC partly to ‘close a circle’ linking his family history to humanitarian work.
Democracy’s Postwar Exception
- Miliband says the post-1945 democratic order looks like an exception, not the norm, today.
- He warns there are now more autocracies than democracies and the international rule of law is retreating.
US Anchor Pulled From Global Order
- He argues the US pulled up its anchor role in the global system, signalling a deliberate repositioning.
- That shift forces other countries to do more for their own and allied security and cooperation.