Following France, UK Backs Permanent UNSC Membership For India, Japan, Germany And Brazil At UN General Assembly

After French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also supported India's bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Speaking at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday (26 September), Starmer urged a change in UNSC "to become a more representative body, willing to act – not paralysed by politics."

"We want to see permanent African representation on the Council, Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members, and more seats for elected members as well," he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Earlier on Wednesday, endorsing India's permanent membership, Macron said, "We have a Security Council that is blocked...Let’s make the UN more efficient. We have to make it more representative."

"France is in favour of the Security Council being expanded. Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil should be permanent members, as well as two countries that Africa will decide to represent it," he asserted.

Both the UK and France are among the five permanent members of the UNSC, while 10 non-permanent members remain there on a rotation basis with two-year terms.

India has been at the forefront of advocating for long-overdue reforms to the UNSC, arguing that it rightfully deserves a permanent seat citing the changed geopolitical realities of the 21st century.

During its recent tenure as a non-permanent member from 2021 to 2022, India reiterated the growing global demand for expanding the council's permanent membership to better align with contemporary global dynamics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also highlighted the necessity of institutional reforms to maintain relevancein his address to the 'Summit of the Future' on Sunday.

Similarly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the 15-member UN Security Council, which he called "outdated," risks losing all credibility unless its structure and operational methods are reformed.