Itās a totally bleeding stupid idea. Even she was backing away from it yesterday.
The UK already has a missile defence system and what relevance would a system designed for a Country 11 times smaller and surrounded by potential enemies have for the UK. Any expert I heard discussing the idea yesterday just laughed it off.
And there are opportunities to participate in both NATO and European missile defence systems which would make much more sense than trying to build one and then integrate it.
The foreign aid budget is a soft power tool that helps reduce the threat in the first place. The UKās national myopia on foreign aid pains me.
If you think Smart Sabre is going to protect the UK from ICBMs or TLAMs, I have a bridge for sale that you might be interested in.
The three Type 45 destroyers that arenāt in bits wonāt be much help against those threats either.
That argument is used a lot, and I am sure itās true in many cases.
Then if you look at where some of the money goes, itās also most definitely not in many cases
Absolutely.
Apart from the humanitarian aspects, feeding Syrians in Turkey is cheaper then having them travel further.
Getting clean water and other aid to remote villages enables those there, to stay there too.
Some of the spend stays fully in the UK. About Ā£2.3billion of āforeign aidā went to UK hotel owners housing asylum seekers 2024/25
Perhaps you have some examples?
Iāve no doubt whatever exists is inadequate, but its upgrading or replacement should be part of a strategic defence plan, not a throwaway at a party conference.
Agreed.
That should be part of long term strategic planning. I fully expect that as part of a multi lateral, non-partisan agreement on defence spending over the next twenty years.
if onlyā¦
A strategic plan for protecting the UK would make pleasant change.
āAbout Ā£2.3bn of UK aid/development activity connected with India, 2016ā21.** This is particularly controversial because India is a major economy with nuclear weapons and a space programme. ICAI concluded that the portfolio was fragmented and ālacks a compelling development rationaleā. One supposedly affordable-housing investment intended for poorer households actually financed middle-class housing.ā
Do you have a link? To my understanding, we havenāt given direct aid to India since 2015 and, since then, any āaidā has been in the form of loans and investments which provide a return.
Fair enough, I lie here corrected.
Iāve been busy tiling so didnāt catch Badenochās speech live nor on catch up but, looking at the coverage, it sounds like sheās playing all the old hits with tax cuts for the older and better off plus increased defence spending all paid for by the less well off through welfare cuts and efficiency.
Did I miss anything that doesnāt fit in there?
Thatās how it reads to me, John.
Probably, but not in power!
Are you moonlighting as her speech writer?
Foreign aid budget needs restoring to itās previous level. Trumpās cuts to international aid have been devastating. The UK cannot compensate for this obviously but first world countries have an obligation in my opinion.
I see that Dan Neidle has written an excellent critique of the IHT proposal on family homes, suggesting that it has a perverse incentive for pensioners to buy the largest home possible in order to protect other assets from IHT plus a real disincentive for those who want to downsize.