Selby Times March 2025

Last month, we reached the third anniversary of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Three years ago, the then UK Government committed to supporting Ukraine, and we in the Labour Party stood alongside them. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but Britain was united in defending democracy on the European continent. 

Three years on, we are entering a new stage of the conflict. Regardless of what happens next; we must remain steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and their right to self-determination.  

This anniversary has also provoked a chance to reflect on our own national security. In the UK, we are facing a once-in-a-generation moment. Global instability, Russian aggression in Ukraine, increasing threats from malign actors, climate change and rapid technological disruption have all contributed to a rapidly deteriorating security landscape. Theatres of conflict are becoming interconnected, and our adversaries are increasingly working together.  

Our national security hasn’t been threatened in this way since the Cold War. We live in a time where we have a land-war in Europe and the borders of nations no longer appear to be fixed in the same way.  

Under the last government, our armed forces were hollowed out and underfunded, leaving us in the shocking position where we were potentially unfit to field a fighting division if we had to fight in a conflict overseas to protect our national security.  

The grim reality of the state of our military hasn’t always been the case. When Labour left office in 2010, we were spending 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence, we had a full-time Army of 100,000 troops and satisfaction with service life was over 60%. The Tories left us with an Army of just over 70,000 troops, and a retention crisis exacerbated by years of our servicemen and women being neglected under the Tories. The Conservative Government presided over the wilful decimation of our military capabilities, which would’ve been worsened had they remained in power last year.

Going into the election, they claimed to have a ‘fully funded plan’ to raise defence spending to 2.5%, but these ‘plans’ weren’t worth the paper they were written on and were absolutely risible. Indeed, they have been described by the Institute for Fiscal Studies as “empty...opaque and misleading”. 

The first duty of any government is the sound defence of the nation, and we owe it to our proud armed forces personnel, who ready themselves to make the ultimate sacrifice for our security, to ensure that defence spending increases substantially so we can meet the growing challenges at home and abroad. It should be the first responsibility of a government, and by extension of its legislators, to make sure that British troops are well-equipped when tasked with keeping our country safe.

I am proud that the Prime Minister has continued Britain's proud tradition of taking a lead in times of international crisis. He follows in the footsteps of his predecessors who led the Labour Party, be they those who stood resolutely with Churchill through the Second World War, or those who were central to the formation of NATO and won the peace.  

We recognise fully that we cannot continue defending ourselves on the cheap. That’s why I fully support the Prime Minister’s decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, with a workable ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament.  

This will deliver the biggest sustained boost to defence spending since the Cold War, safeguarding our collective security and funding the technology and industrial capacity needed to keep the UK and our allies safe. 

This increase in defence spending will be funded through a reduction in overseas aid. I won’t shy away from saying that this has been a touch choice, but it is a necessary one. This choice reflects the evolving nature of the threats our nation faces and the need to shift our focus to the hard capacity which our current challenges demand. 

Selby is a proud, patriotic town with a rich history of supporting the defence of our country. I hope that, as a town, we can all stand together behind this decision which will meet the growing threats of the new era we find ourselves in by making Britain more secure at home, and stronger abroad.