Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has ordered a strategic defence which will look at how to strengthen the armed forces and the UK’s nuclear and cyber capabilities in what he described as a “more dangerous world.”
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen—a former NATO secretary general who was defence secretary under former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair—has been chosen to lead the review, which is expected to report its findings early in 2025.
Sir Keir has promised to earmark 2.5 percent of Britain’s GDP on defence and he wants the review to signpost how this would be achieved over the next five years.
Sir Keir said: “We live in a more dangerous and volatile world. My government will forge a new clear-eyed approach to our national defences, equipping us to tackle international threats head on while keeping the British people safe and secure.”
“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,” he added.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed during the general election campaign that Britain’s defences would not be safe in the hands of Labour.
Lord Robertson Warns of ‘Deadly Quartet’
Lord Robertson has identified China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as being hostile powers who are often working in concert with each other.He told reporters, “We’re confronted by a deadly quartet of nations increasingly working together, and we in this country, and the NATO alliance that met so successfully last week, has got to be able to confront that particular quartet as well as the other problems that are pervading the world at the present moment.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has been supplied with Iranian drones, North Korean munitions, and Chinese components to sustain the offensive against Ukraine despite sanctions imposed by the West.
Mr. Sunak set a goal of spending 2.5 percent of GDP on defence at a cumulative cost of £75 billion, but Sir Keir has yet to submit such a timetable and has now delegated the task to Lord Robertson’s review.
Lord Robertson, who is now 78, was known as George Robertson when he was defence secretary between 1997 and 1999 and he was NATO’s secretary general between 1999 and 2003.
Former Trump Aide Will Be Involved in Review
Assisting Lord Robertson with the strategic review will be Gen. Sir Richard Barrons, a former chief of the joint forces command, and Fiona Hill, a British–American foreign affairs specialist who advised the Trump administration between 2017 and 2019.
With the possibility of former President Donald Trump returning to the White House after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ms. Hill may have been brought on board to offer insight into how President Trump might view NATO and the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
Defence Secretary John Healey will oversee the review and will update Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Mr. Healey said: “At the start of a new era for Britain, we need a new era for defence. Hollowed-out armed forces, procurement waste, and neglected morale cannot continue.”
“In response, 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,” he added.
Labour’s manifesto committed to complete the review within its first year in office.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative MP and chair of the Defence Select Committee who lost his seat at the general election, wrote on social media platform X: “Since 2019 I’ve been a persistent, often lone voice warning of rising threats, the prospect of conflict and the urgency to upgrade our defence posture.
“Europe is no longer at peace and with America likely to pull support for Ukraine we must prepare for war,” he added.
