Britain’s veto could stop the UAE’s choice from running the United Nations. Miliband must use it | Steve Bloomfield

A UAE diplomat, Lana Nusseibeh, is being considered to succeed António Guterres as UN secretary general, and the author argues that Britain should veto her candidacy. The case rests on her repeated denials of UAE involvement in Sudan’s war and her disputes with UN investigators, whose reports have found evidence that the UAE supplied weapons and mercenaries to the Rapid Support Forces.

Nusseibeh entered the race late, while the selection process remains stalled and is decided first by the Security Council’s five permanent members. The article says diplomats and UN watchers believe she has US and Russian backing, while Rebeca Grynspan led the latest straw poll but faces opposition from at least two permanent members. The author says the choice matters amid growing pressure on multilateral institutions and calls on UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to use Britain’s veto.