As the world faces its greatest dangers since the peak of the Cold War, it is crucial that defense and the necessity of equipping our military and security forces for future challenges take center stage in the upcoming general election.
The current global predicament is arguably the most perilous since the early 1960s when the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the US and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war.
The September 11 attacks on the US in 2001, shortly after Tony Blair's second landslide victory, dramatically altered the global security landscape, shifting the main focus to counter-terrorism operations against jihadi groups like al-Qaeda.
Britain’s involvement in the Iraq invasion stirred political controversy, especially regarding Blair's justification for toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Nonetheless, Blair won another majority in the 2005 election.
Though the Soviet Union has dissolved and the threat from Islamist terrorists has diminished, new global threats have emerged. Britain and its allies now face multiple challenges that could lead to full-scale war.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine ignited the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions raise the prospect of conflict between nuclear-armed Russia and NATO.
Russia's alliance with authoritarian regimes like China, Iran, and North Korea challenges the West's dominance in world affairs. Concurrently, China's bid to rival the US as the world's leading superpower could escalate territorial disputes in the Pacific, particularly over Taiwan. Iran's efforts to expand its influence in the Middle East present another potential conflict source.
These developments pose direct challenges to the UK’s military and intelligence services. Continued British military support for Ukraine is crucial for Kyiv's success against Russia. Iranian-instigated aggression in the Middle East has already engaged British warplanes in defense of Israel and attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Any Chinese invasion of Taiwan would likely see Britain backing a US military response.
Given these pressing issues, it is imperative that major political parties prioritize defense and their strategies for safeguarding the country in their election manifestos.
Rishi Sunak highlighted the importance of this issue when announcing the election, referencing the Government’s pledge to raise defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by the end of the decade, which should provide an additional £75 billion for the military.
The Conservatives' commitment to increased defense spending must be weighed against their past 14 years of cuts that have weakened all three Services.
Even so, Sunak’s promise to boost spending gives his party an edge over Labour. Despite efforts by shadow defense secretary John Healey to strengthen Labour’s national security stance, the party's position remains unclear. Labour supports a 2.5 percent GDP defense budget but calls for a fully funded plan to achieve it.
Labour’s track record on defense spending is not encouraging, despite Healey’s reminders that the defense budget last reached 2.5 percent of GDP in 2010 under Labour. Gordon Brown's reluctance to fund Blair’s military interventions left the Conservatives with a £38 billion deficit in the Ministry of Defence’s finances, contributing to subsequent severe cuts.
The Liberal Democrats' strong opposition to British military interventions abroad makes them unreliable for confronting autocratic regimes like Russia. Meanwhile, the SNP's long-standing campaign to eliminate the UK’s nuclear deterrent would severely compromise Britain’s defense against hostile states.
In the upcoming election, it is essential that the defense policies of all major parties receive the same scrutiny as other key issues like health and education. Defending the realm is the primary duty of any government, and it must be a top priority in the next election.
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