GEIS-新闻详情

Britain's Armed Forces facing ‘huge uncertainty’ following Labour defence review

2024-07-16 00:00:00.0 每日快报-政治原网页

John Healey and Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)

Sir Keir Starmer has asked for a thorough “root and branch” assessment of the state of the UK’s military capabilities, which the Prime Minister pledged would tackle international threats head on.

But the Strategic Defence Review review is not due to report until the first half of 2025. Labour has promised to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent but only after the review and only if the public finances allow.

by Taboola by Taboola

Sponsored

Neuro Reports

Neuro ReportsNeuropaty is not from Low vitamin B (Meet the Real Enemy)

Undo

by Taboola by Taboola

Don't miss... Former NATO boss warns four countries are plotting to wreck havoc on Britain [LATEST]

The review will be a radical departure from the ones which have taken place before by bringing in senior public figures from outside Whitehall to shape defence and geopolitical strategies in the coming years.

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, the former defence secretary and Nato secretary general, will lead a team with General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command and deputy chief of the Defence Staff, and Fiona Hill, a foreign policy specialist and former advisor to US presidents including Donald Trump.

Lord Robertson indicated the influence he will have on the process by saying that China is now viewed as a major adversary, along with Russia, Iran and North Korea, in a “dangerous quartet increasingly working together”.

His stance went further than a communiqué approved by Nato member states at the summit last week which called China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It also illustrated the change which has taken place since Beijing was courted by David Cameron and George Osborne in government for investment in Britain.

The last Defence Review under a Conservative government, as hostile acts by Beijing grew, referred to China as a “systemic challenge”.

“The Nato summit last week in Washington made it perfectly clear that the challenge of China was something that had to be taken very, very seriously”, and that “what happens in the Asia-Pacific can happen in the Euro-Atlantic very quickly afterwards,” Lord Roberson said.

Don't miss...

Labour left squirming over Donald Trump 'Nazi' jibe [LATEST]

Fury as woke Ministry of Defence spends ￡3.4 million on diversity staff [LATEST]

Boosting Britain's military might is more important than the NHS [LATEST]

Announcing the review, Sir Keir is due to say in the Commons today: “We live in a more dangerous and volatile world. I promised the British people I would deliver the change needed to take our country forward, and I promised action not words.

“That’s why one of my first acts since taking office is to launch our strategic defence review. We will make sure our hollowed out armed forces are bolstered and respected, that defence spending is responsibly increased, and that our country has the capabilities needed to ensure the UK’s resilience for the long term.”

The defence secretary, John Healey, who will oversee the review, insisted that it will have full scope to put forward innovative, iconoclastic plans and policies, use lessons learned from Ukraine and other recent wars to bring changes to the UK military, and challenge entrenched, vested interest present among some in the security hierarchy.

“There will be little point in getting together this formidable team to lead the review if we are going to shut them up and their ability to do that [challenge traditional precepts].

It is quite right to learn from emerging conflicts, assess what potentially hostile countries are doing.

“We are ready to do more with new technology, ready to support Ukraine with things which have been demonstrated in Ukraine,” Mr Healey said.

“At the start of a new era for Britain, we need a new era for defence. The review will strengthen the foundations for this new mission-driven government… Our armed forces need to be better ready to fight, more integrated and more innovative.

We need clearer accountability, faster delivery, less waste and better value for money. The review will ensure that defence is central to the future security of Britain and to its economic growth and prosperity.”

A record number of former military personnel, who have recently left the services, have been elected as Labour MPs in the election, bringing with them recent experience of the evolving nature of combat.

They include Colonel Alistair Carne, a Royal Marine awarded the Military Cross for missions undertaken in Afghanistan, who was made veterans minister on his first day in parliament.

Sir Keir has pledged to keep Trident as part of a “nuclear deterrent triple lock”; to place Nato at the centre of military strategy; to continue to provide Ukraine with armed support; and to boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP once the economy allows.

Labour says this shows how far the party has moved on from the time of Jeremy Corbyn, who opposed maintaining Trident and was frequently critical of Nato.

While ensuring homeland security, the review will ensure that the UK has the capabilities for supporting Ukraine as long as necessary in the war against Russia.

It will also set out ways to further strengthen ties to the Indo Pacific , the Gulf and the Middle East.

The UK, meanwhile, remains committed to the delivery of the AUKUS partnership with the US and Australia.

However, Labour’s stance on waiting for the economy to improve before seeking to meet the 2.5 per cent target has drawn criticism.

Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy and a Labour peer, said: “I think we ought to say when we are going to get to 2.5 per cent. ‘When the situation allows’ is not really good enough – Putin will not wait for our situation to be good enough before he attacks.”

Britain’s defence spending has been repeatedly cut by previous governments, while other Nato states have made substantial increases.

Germany’s 2024 defence budget is now bigger than Britain’s for the first time since the Second World War, at ￡77.5bn compared with ￡63.9bn.

DON'T MISS

Sir Keir Starmer could find himself a wartime PM with threat of World War 3 on the rise

69 Comments

Radical plan to slash NHS backlog and boost economy by getting patients 'back to work'

96 Comments

Keir Starmer and wife Victoria head to Washington for PM's first international summit

37 Comments

Fury as woke Ministry of Defence spends ￡3.4 million on diversity staff

239 Comments

Boosting Britain's military might is more important than the NHS, former spy chief warns

65 Comments

Tax blow confirmed for private schools as VAT slapped on institutions in King's Speech

17 Comments

Keir Starmer to hand huge swathe of new powers to Sadiq Khan and fellow mayors

58 Comments

King's Speech shows more taxes are on the way under socialist Starmer, Tories warn

888 Comments

Starmer has had his true heir to Blair moment - and it'll mean more regulation for us all

23 Comments

Labour's controversial plans to concrete over Britain unleashed in King's Speech

124 Comments

Our Daily Express manifesto: 10 common sense pledges Keir Starmer must follow

157 Comments

Nigel Farage issues urgent UK migration warning - 'biggest increase since records began'

852 Comments

Keir Starmer warned Labour plan to save sewage-riddled waters will fail for one key reason

93 Comments

'The madness continues!' Lee Anderson slams Labour after decision on new coal mine

575 Comments

Former NATO boss sounds the alarm over four countries plotting to wreck havoc on Britain

205 Comments

EU army warning over Labour plot to drag UK back to Brussels: 'Won't be able to contest!'

939 Comments

Starmer stalls on crucial review of nation's defence - when urgent fixes are needed now

7 Comments

NATO panic as China and Russia begin military drills with WW3 fears mounting

30 Comments

Health Benefits

Eat 1 Teaspoon Every Night, See What Happens A Week Later [video]Health Benefits

Undo

by Taboola by Taboola