Starmer’s directionless national security strategy fools no one
Spectator (UK)16 hrs
UK Warns of Potential Wartime Scenario in National Security Strategy
Above: U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on June 24, 2025. Image copyright: Ben Stansall/WPA Pool/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
The U.K. faces a multitude of threats. from traditional warfare to cyber attacks, supply chain risks, and an assault on democracy. A new 5% GDP pledge reflects a new reality that security now spans a multitude of intertwining sectors. Europe must be protected, ties to the Indo-Pacific must be strengthened, frontier technology must be invested in, and China must be pragmatically engaged to secure the U.K.'s future.
Right narrative
The government's security commitments are fundamentally dishonest, rebranding unrelated spending on inequality and green growth as to reach distant deadlines. Even more troubling is the U.K.'s evident lack of confidence in confronting China directly, releasing partial findings rather than publishing the promised comprehensive audit. Labour must not play politics with national security.
Establishment-critical narrative
Elites are dragging the U.K. toward catastrophe while abandoning working people at home. Money that could have renationalised water companies or rebuilt public services has been directed towards forever wars. The solution isn't more NATO posturing to serve American imperialist interests, but negotiation and diplomacy with the likes of Russia and China to secure international stability.