A pledge by the PM to put the arms industry on a 'war footing' & boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 will ring as hollow as his military unless he wins the election. So why didn't Rishi Sunak make the move sooner & aim higher given the threat?

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The PM has put the UK defence industry on a 'war footing' & plans to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. But, in the small print, the only new cash this year is £500mln for Ukraine - not UK military. Everything else is after the election (or not)
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'We will put the UK's defence industry on a war footing'

PM Rishi Sunak says the increase in defence spending is 'a landmark moment in the defence of the United Kingdom' at a NATO news conference in Poland

Politics Hub live ➡️ trib.al/nwNtiF8

📺 Sky 501 and YouTube

BREAKING: The UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2030, the prime minister is expected to announce in a hardening of military policy at a time of growing threats.

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I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track.

Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to

NEW: Ukraine has used British cruise missiles to hit a Russian military headquarters in the occupied city of Luhansk in the east of the country, a military source has told Sky News.

With Artem Lysak

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BREAKING: UK warplanes shot down a number of Iranian attack drones as part of efforts to defend Israel from Iran’s unprecedented offensive overnight, PM Rishi Sunak says

Former armed forces minister James Heappey MP says the UK must be better prepared for war at a time of growing threats

Watch the interview in full here: trib.al/99xAi5w

NEW: The UK should consider sending troops to Ukraine to give training and other support to Ukrainian forces in the war with Russia - though away from the frontline, former armed forces minister Rt Hon James Heappey MP has said.

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Sat down with Deborah Haynes for long chat on all I’ve been doing for last few years as MinAF. We’ve got to keep pushing boundaries of our support for Ukraine. We’ve got to fund defence better with 2.5% of GDP now & 3% by 2030. And we’ve got to improve our strategic resilience.

Former defence minister says UK needs to be better prepared for war, including reconnecting with a “strategic reserve” of veterans who could be called on in a crisis. Rt Hon James Heappey MP also says UK should consider sending troops to Ukraine - but not frontline ⬇️

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Anyone seeking to join the Royal Navy will no longer need to prove they can swim in what one defence source called a 'desperate' relaxing of standards to tackle a recruitment crisis

Read more🔗
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Super exciting to meet Katie Potter and hear all about her journalism journey so far! Exciting times ahead no doubt
John Schofield Trust

NEW: A whistleblower who raised the alarm 18 months ago about alleged sexual harassment and abuse onboard the UK's nuclear-armed submarines says she feels let down and left in limbo by the Royal Navy 1/🧵

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On the #Daily , Tom Cheshire is joined by Deborah Haynes, who has seen documents outlining the UK's preparedness for nuclear war, and asks former soldier and now defence policy expert, Robert Clark, what the military will need to do to prepare for war

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A Nation that spends heavily and relies on a nuclear deterrent needs to consider all the implications. Being able to demonstrate a readiness to continue to function is a vital part of deterrence. This documentary provides a chilling context: netflix.com/gb/title/81614…

With ministers and military chiefs warning that Britain is moving into a 'pre-war world', Sky News can reveal that the country does not have a plan to repel an attack.

Read more: trib.al/TWIFaTs

The government has no national plan for the defence of the UK in a war despite renewed threats of conflict, Sky News has learnt.

Sky's security and defence editor Deborah Haynes reports👇

Read more: trib.al/TWIFaTs

The British government has no plan for national defence, the mobilisation of its citizens or of its industry in the event of a war, even as defence sec Grant Shapps in January raised the spectre of a 'pre-war world'.
In-depth investigation by Deborah Haynes

There is no plan. An issue I think is crucial for our preparedness, deterrence, and force structures.

Pleased to support this work from Deborah Haynes - not easy to report on something that doesn’t exist!

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