Minister Urges 'Less Risk Averse' Approach To Defence Policy

A defence minister has said Britain should be "less risk averse" and consider playing a stabilising role in overseas conflicts.

Tobias Ellwood said the country should invest in the Armed Forces, saying the UK is at a "pivotal moment", having to choose between being a force for good or withdrawing to a "more reactive footing".

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph as discussions are held between the Treasury and Ministry of Defence on spending, Mr Ellwood said increased funding for defence against cyber attacks should not come at the expense of "old-fashioned force". He said:

"We must be less risk-averse, haunted as we are by our experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The conflict in Yemen, for example, a protracted civil war with proxy influences compounding the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, is a challenge that Britain and its allies could help to resolve."

He added there was a "tragic collective naivety about the durability of peace", adding "growing threats could damage the free markets and open economies that have fuelled global growth for a generation".

Mr Ellwood added: "Bill Clinton once summed up the priorities of government by saying 'it's the economy, stupid'.

"But today, with the interdependence of national economies, stock exchanges and exchange rates, we might say 'it's security, stupid'.

"Without security, 21st-century economies, especially our own, cannot flourish."

In November, it was reported Ellwood was allegedly prepared to resign if cuts to the British Army took place.

Tobias Ellwood served in the Royal Green Jackets from 1991 to 1996, with tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Germany, and is now an Army reservist.