Recommendation 26

In its response to this report, the Government should set out the factors it will assess in determining whether countries are priorities for UK security partnerships. These factors should include (but not be limited to): (Paragraph 71) (a) the UK’s capacity for influence in a specific country; (b) the level of security challenge faced by a country (in the short, medium and long term); (c) the level of demand for a bilateral/multilateral security partnership within a country; 56 Guns for gold: the Wagner Network exposed (d) the possible regional implications of the country’s ‘capture’ by a Russian or other malign proxy; and (e) the level of willingness on both sides to uphold transparency and standards of good governance as part of any future partnership.