The Official Website
This site features David Owen’s views on current issues but is not a full archive. His official papers—covering his time in Government, the SDP, and as EU Co-Chair on Yugoslavia—are held at the University of Liverpool, where he was Chancellor (1996–2009). They’re available in the Library’s Special Collections.
David Owen can be contacted at office@davidowen.uk. He prefers not to use the title ‘Lord’ having retired from the House …
“As the transatlantic alliance is no longer the safe bet Atlanticists thought it was, Europe has no other option than to become more self-sufficient…. It means redesigning European economies [to] carry the weight of increased investment in security….”
Read the full paper here
“The priority now is for Europe to stay relevant economically and militarily. A Europe that brings capability to the table is less likely to be disregarded.”
Paper
Monday 12 May 2025.
At a joint meeting with Hubert Vedrine, former French Foreign Minister. La Maison Centralesupelec, 75008 Paris
“It is Europe refusing to pay for our own defence who have kept America dominant within NATO… That was a grievous error that must never be repeated
“…Europe (must become) become NATO’s biggest element in manpower and finance… (and develop) mechanisms to allow independent conventional action including nuclear without the …
Programme aired on BBC Radio 5, 2 April 2025.
Listen to Lord Owen’s segment here
He discusses a range of topics including world affairs under the Trump presidency; NATO, Ukraine and Russia; the need, from a security perspective, for the UK to “be more European”; and defence spending. Lord Owen also touches on the current electoral scene with the rise of Reform and the need for some form of proportional …
Drawing on his experience, including helping resolve the Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict, Lord Owen speaks to Rod Liddle on 1 March 2025 to suggest a framework for Ukraine war negotiations. Listen here: https://www.thetimes.com/radio/show/20250301-29366/2025-03-01
“Just calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine which is ignored is insufficient. A ceasefire is best arrived at in a negotiation rather than by an initial declaration….following the start of negotiations it would help if all recrimination or point …
Lord Owen discussing ways of ending the Ukraine war on Rod Liddle’s Times Radio programme, broadcast Saturday 11 January 2025. Starts at approx. 2hrs 06 mins
Listen here
“If we can end the war in Ukraine, we should try… but it’s not easy. The reality is that if China wants that war to end, it will end. If I were a diplomat, I’d be spending quite a lot of my …
George Parker of the Financial Times interviews Lord Owen for BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Week In Westminster’.
“Following his retirement from the House of Lords, the Labour politician and founding member of the Social Democratic Party, Lord Owen, discusses his life in politics.”
Listen to the programme here
Lord Owen’s section starts at approx. 15’20”
First aired 12 October 2024.…
‘David Owen; A radical life’ is an in-depth interview by Freddie Sayers recorded live at Westminster’s UnHerd club. Watch the video here
In the conversation, Lord Owen reminisces as he marks his retirement from the House of Lords. He discusses his life in politics, the ideological shifts of the recent decades and the future of the British Left.
1hr 18 min. Subtitled but please note the quality of the transcription …