THE first duty of government is to defend the country and keep people safe. The Labour government is failing that basic test.
Every day, Russia bombards Ukraine while threatening countries on its borders.
Last month, Germany confirmed that Russia was behind the drone attack at Leipzig airport.
has called Britain “Russia’s number one enemy” and Russian warships have been sailing through the and that power our entire information and communication network.
War has returned to Europe.
Meanwhile, missiles and are also transforming warfare in the Middle East.
Cheap weapons can now threaten cities, military bases and critical infrastructure in ways that would have sounded like science fiction a generation ago.
The world will not wait for Britain to get ready.
That is why today the Conservatives are announcing we will create “Britannia Shield” — a new national missile-and-drone defence system to protect the , our sovereign territories and British bases overseas.
Modelled on , Britannia Shield will invest £10 billion over ten years in the radar, missiles and technology needed to detect these threats and stop them before they reach British soil.
If a missile or drone is launched at Britain, we do not get a second chance to wish we had prepared.
So, the Conservatives are making sure we are prepared.
This is what a strong government should be focused on.
Families can make their own choices.
Businesses can build and innovate.
But only government can defend the country.
Yet, had almost nothing to say about defence in his big speech last week.
The best he offered was a vague promise of meeting a defence spending target in ten years’ time.
That will be too late.
I am still shocked that Burnham told the whole country that he believes .
Meanwhile, the than making sure Britain is prepared to intercept Iranian missiles.
Is it any wonder ?
They don’t believe the government is doing what’s necessary to defend our country from hostile states.
We have to get serious.
We need to increase our defence spending every year so that we get to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030.
That is why last month I announced that the Conservatives had found the savings to meet the 3 per cent target.
We had already set out our plan to repurpose some net-zero funds for a £17billion Sovereign Defence Fund, and that we would reinstate the two-child benefit cap — because we believe that families on should have to make the same decisions on having children as those who aren’t.
To those savings, the Shadow Work and Secretary Helen Whately added reforms to housing benefit and the Motability car hire scheme.
My National Security Team — Shadow Foreign Secretary , Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge, and Shadow Deputy Leader Alex Burghart — have been working on the best way to deploy the extra £10billion a year the has found for our national defence.
So why have we chosen the Britannia Shield?
First, I was taken aback by what Ukrainian President told MPs when he addressed in March this year.
He explained exactly how warfare had changed and how vulnerable every country was to the new modern form of aggression.
Secondly, experts have said that Britain has significant gaps in our existing air and missile defences.
A 2025 Defence Select Committee report warned that, compared with the work our allies were doing to invest in these capabilities, Britain had “next to nothing”.
Thirdly, the threat to British sovereign territory is real.
Akrotiri in Cyprus was struck by a drone found to contain Russian technology.
Iran also launched ballistic missiles at our base in the Chagos Islands, with Britain having to rely on the United States to launch their own missile interceptors.
Andy Burnham doesn’t believe that defence is a priority for government.
He wants to focus on changing the voting system, or dragging the country back into pointless debates.
It’s clear that, under Burnham, Labour will not commit the money Britain needs for defence.
They will keep pouring billions into a broken benefits system, while leaving our security underfunded.
Conservatives choose differently.
We have found the savings to ensure we hit 3 per cent of GDP on defence spending by 2030, because keeping Britain safe cannot be another promise for some distant point in the future.
The threat is here.
Britain must be ready.
And Britannia Shield will help make sure we are.
