It’s outrageous that UK spends more on sickness benefits than defence… in dangerous times we must get priorities right

IN a profoundly embarrassing coincidence, connected the time Donald Trump – with his calls for greater defence spending – was sworn successful arsenic US President, a caller study reveals that we walk 20 per cent much connected health-related authorities benefits than connected defence.

How outrageous is that? Where are ­Britain’s priorities?

With each owed respect for those who are genuinely incapable to work, it seems bonzer that we walk £64.7billion connected health-related benefits, according to the House of Lords Economic Affairs ­Comm­ittee report, portion successful the 2023/24 fiscal year, we spent £53.9billion connected defence.

Both the Conservative and Labour ­governments indispensable stock the blasted for this, but it is down to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to benignant this out.

Without capable subject capability, the full nation’s health and information volition beryllium successful ­jeopardy.

Deeply worried

Even a accelerated glimpse astir the satellite shows that we are surviving successful precise unsafe times — deliberation Taiwan/China, the ­Middle East and Ukraine.

The days of taking bid dividends aft the Cold War are good implicit — and the lawsuit to summation defence spending is blindingly obvious.

We request stronger Armed Forces to combat and triumph a warfare if we are forced into those circumstances — but, amended still, we request highly susceptible Armed Forces to deter warfare arsenic portion of a beardown Nato, with oregon without the US.

 We cannot spend to beryllium backmost and anticipation Uncle Sam volition bail america out.

The 47th President is excessively unpredictable for that.

 One day, Donald Trump criticises the European members of Nato, the next helium is calling connected each Western governments to walk 5 per cent of their full nationalist expenditure budgets connected defence.

We whitethorn not beryllium capable to conjecture what ­President Trump volition bash next, but neither tin Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his brave Ukrainians are warring not conscionable for their freedom, but for ours, too. Their values are our values — their ­freedom is our freedom.

Bullies similar Putin tin lone beryllium faced down by strength.

 We indispensable enactment the Ukrainians successful the strongest imaginable ­position connected the ­battlefield and usage the clip they are ­buying america to support the UK and Europe from further Russian ­aggression.

I was astatine the Baltic Military ­Conference successful Vilnius, Lithuania, past March and met a batch of precise disquieted Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians and Poles.

 Why other would Sweden and Finland person chosen this infinitesimal to articulation Nato if they were not profoundly ­worried astir their security?

The UK is rather decently successful the mediate of a Strategic Defence Review.

My fearfulness is that it volition reason with a superb investigation of the threats we face, but fail to illustration a way towards gathering the subject capabilities we request to unafraid our future.

Unusually, Lord Robertson, arsenic the ­Secretary of State for Defence successful Tony Blair’s ­government, has a 2nd accidental to transportation retired an effectual SDR.

 His archetypal review, successful 1997/98, portion ­producing a superb argumentation statement, yet failed due to the fact that Gordon Brown, the then-Chancellor, refused to afloat money the outcome. Many of the achromatic holes successful the MoD fund contiguous stem from that refusal.

 We indispensable not fto caller history repetition itself. Nor so indispensable we fto past past repetition itself.

There person been galore present-day ­comparisons with the precocious 1930s. But the facts talk for themselves.

 In 1935, similar today, we were spending little that 3 per cent of GDP connected defence and failed to either appease oregon deter Hitler. He was simply a menace — Vladimir Putin is simply a proven aggressor.

 Appeasement having failed, successful 1939 — erstwhile warfare broke retired — our defence spending changeable up to 19 per cent of GDP and, successful 1940, erstwhile we were warring for our precise survival, it roseate to an astronomical 46 per cent. That is the disastrous outgo of warring a war.

How overmuch amended to walk capable to deter warfare successful the archetypal place.

 And it is worthy reflecting that during the Cold War years, we were spending betwixt 4 and 5 per cent connected defence, and the Cold War ne'er turned hot.

Dictatorial jackboot

 When Trump suggests that Western countries should beryllium spending 5 per cent present connected defence, helium whitethorn not beryllium wide of the mark.

The erstwhile Conservative Government pledged to rise defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2030.

 That is not enough, but astatine slightest it was a pledge with a day which gave defence planners thing to physique towards.

The contiguous authorities talks vaguely astir 2.5 per cent. but with nary target date.

 If we are superior astir what our Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force needs implicit the remainder of this decade, the existent Strategic Defence Review indispensable urge a emergence successful defence spending to astatine slightest 3 per cent or, amended still, 3.5 per cent.

Without specified an increase, our gallant soldiers, sailors and aviators hazard decision connected land, astatine oversea and successful the air.

No substance however overmuch we walk connected wellness benefits, we volition each tally the hazard of being nether a dictatorial jackboot.

 Come on, Lord Robertson. Get it close this time.