Tobias Ellwood

Britain faces growing risks from Russian, Chinese and Iranian activity below the threshold of war, including cyber-attacks, sabotage and threats to critical infrastructure. Tobias Ellwood argues that the Treasury’s resistance to funding, rather than foreign adversaries themselves, is the immediate obstacle to rebuilding the Armed Forces and improving homeland resilience. He urges Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting to increase defence spending sooner, consider tax rises or spending cuts to fund it, ring-fence the defence budget and accept cross-party cooperation, arguing that deterrence is cheaper than war.

Argues that Andy Burnham’s national security stance is insufficient without restoring development aid and strengthening diplomatic engagement alongside military investment. Warns that global instability threatens the UK and that soft power, including targeted aid, is a crucial element of deterrence. Emphasises that security and economic stability are intertwined and criticises recent cuts to development spending for exacerbating migration, extremism and trade disruptions. Calls for a balanced approach combining military strength with diplomacy, development and statecraft to prevent conflicts from escalating.