We need to step up and spend more, Defence Secretary says at Labour's party conference
The Defence Secretary has said that the UK needs to "step up and spend more" as he warned about the threat of war looming large.
Wes Streeting addressed delegates at Labour's annual party conference at the ACC Liverpool, where he spoke about the world's unstable nature, the alleged terrorism incident at RAF Fairford, and the continued UK support to Ukraine.
"At no point in my lifetime has the threat of war loomed large as large as it does today," Mr Streeting said. "Our adversaries are more dangerous, across more domains. And they're on our doorstep. To prevent the worst, we must prepare for it."
A 'new age of insecurity'
Mr Streeting also highlighted just how volatile the world is right now, given the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and between the United States and Iran, as he said that the UK is existing currently in a "new age of insecurity".
"It is not yet clear whether freedom or tyranny will define the 21st century," he said. "War has returned to Europe. Old alliances are being tested. Warfare is as tough, as bloody and as deadly as it has ever been.
"But it is also transformed by drones, by data and by digital networks in a way that would have been unrecognisable even when the war in Ukraine began.
"The conclusion is simple. We need to step up, we need to spend more."
However, the path to spending the Nato target of 3.5% of GDP on defence spending by 2035 has moved further away.
The Chancellor and former Defence Secretary John Healey, who resigned over the fact that not enough was being spent on defence in June, is expected to outline plans next year rather than in the Budget next month.
RAF Fairford incident
Mr Streeting's speech at conference followed an incident at RAF Fairford, a strategically important airbase that has served as a forward operating base for the US Air Force since the Cold War.
Over the weekend, British police arrested five men on allegations of explosive and terrorism offences near the airbase, which the US had recently used to conduct defensive strikes against Iranian military capabilities.
Speaking about the incident, the Defence Secretary praised those who responded: "Our friendship with America is the closest alliance of any two nations on Earth, and we will always stand together against those who hate our freedom and those who wish us harm.
"What we saw yesterday from our security services, our Armed Forces and our police was just a small glimpse of the extraordinary work they do every day around the clock and around the world, behind the scenes and without recognition to keep our country safe."
Mr Streeting did not go into any further detail about the incident at the base.
Tehran has denied any involvement in the alleged terrorism incident, saying that it rejects the claims being reported.
In a statement posted on X, the Iranian Embassy said: "The Iranian Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to [the] arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base."
Solidarity with Ukraine
Mr Streeting also used his speech to reiterate his commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in its more than four-year-long conflict with Russia, as he said that the UK has demonstrated "solidarity" when working with Kyiv.
"The test comes when another nation needs us. I'm proud that we've shown throughout our history that when allies call, Britain answers. Nowhere has this been clearer than Ukraine," Mr Streeting, who first visited the country in August, said.
Mr Streeting also commented on his visit to Ukraine as he remarked that he witnessed damaged shopping centres, shelters in underground car parks and children's toys lying in the rubble of bombed houses struck by Russia.
"So, to President Zelensky and our friends in Ukraine: yesterday, today, tomorrow, we are with you for as long as it takes," he said.
Additional reporting by Sian Grzeszczyk Melbourne.
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