Chilling national security blueprint says Britain faces ‘wartime scenario’ for first time in decades as enemies probe our defences
Britain must prepare for the terrifying prospect of war on home soil for the first time in decades, ministers were warned today in a bombshell national security strategy that paints a chilling picture of threats from Russia, Iran, North Korea and China.
The stark warning came as Sir Keir Starmer jetted off to a NATO summit in The Hague, where he admitted Britain faces “very, very frequent and very, very serious” cyberattacks that threaten to bring the country to its knees.
In a shocking admission that will send shivers down the spine of every British family, the Government’s new strategy declared: “For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.”
The terrifying 100-page dossier laid bare how our enemies are already “laying the foundations for future conflict” – including positioning themselves to unleash chaos on our energy supplies and wreck our supply chains at a moment’s notice.
Putin’s shadow looms large
The Prime Minister didn’t mince his words about the Russian threat, warning that “Russian aggression menaces our continent” while hostile state activity is already taking place on British soil.
Speaking to Sky News at the NATO summit, Starmer revealed the true scale of the daily assault on Britain: “We are facing daily challenges on the home front. We have to guard properly against those threats, and we will do so.
The strategy highlighted how Russian cyber attacks and sabotage operations are already targeting the UK, with Putin’s spies probing our defences and testing our vulnerabilities as an open economy.
Even more alarming, the document revealed that North Korea – yes, the hermit kingdom – has now sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, marking the first time North Korean forces have been deployed in Europe. Ever.
Iran’s tentacles reach British streets
But it’s not just Russia we need to worry about. The strategy exposed how Iranian hostile activity on British soil is increasing, threatening our people and critical infrastructure.
The Islamic Republic is conducting “destabilising activities” across the Middle East while developing missile programmes with growing reach that pose a direct threat to the UK in cyberspace.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told MPs the whole country must now be “clear-eyed and hard-edged” about the threats it faces, warning that Britain needs to boost its borders and make the nation “more resilient to future threats.
The China ‘challenge’
Perhaps most controversially, Foreign Secretary David Lammy told MPs that China is a “sophisticated and persistent threat” – but then claimed freezing relations with Beijing is “not an option.
In a statement that had MPs scratching their heads, Lammy revealed the findings of the Government’s “China audit” which set out how “China’s espionage, interference in our democracy and the undermining of our economic security have increased in recent years.
Yet in the same breath, he insisted: “Not engaging with China is therefore no choice at all. China’s power is an inescapable fact.”
The Foreign Secretary claimed China has delivered a third of global economic growth in the past decade and, together with Hong Kong, is the UK’s third largest trading partner.
Critics immediately accused the Government of going “cap in hand” to China to bail out the British economy, even as Beijing’s spies infiltrate our institutions and hack our systems.
Three-pronged battle plan
Mr McFadden outlined the Government’s three-step plan to protect Britain from these mounting threats:
First, to “protect security at home” by bolstering our borders and making the UK more resilient to attacks. Ministers are planning a massive cross-government exercise later this year to test how we’d cope with future crises like another pandemic.
Second, to “promote strength abroad” by working with allies to defend our collective security. “We will never fight alone,” Starmer declared, pledging that Britain’s defence policy would be “NATO first”.
Third, to increase our “sovereign and asymmetric capabilities” – Westminster-speak for rebuilding our defence industries and gaining the upper hand in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence.
The eye-watering cost
But here’s the rub – all this protection comes with a massive price tag that could cost taxpayers billions.
At the NATO summit, allies confirmed plans to boost defence spending to a whopping 5% of GDP by 2035. That’s made up of 3.5% for core military spending and another 1.5% for wider security like cyber defences and border protection.
Experts warn that hitting the 3.5% target alone could cost British taxpayers an extra £40 billion a year. Yet when pressed on how he’ll pay for it, the PM refused to give a straight answer.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel slammed the Government for offering only “smoke and mirrors” on defence spending, demanding: “When will he actually deliver a plan to get to 2.5%, and why won’t he heed our calls to hit 3% by the end of this Parliament?
‘Every citizen has a role to play’
In perhaps the most alarming revelation, Starmer declared that “every element of society” must be mobilised towards a “collective national effort” to keep the UK safe.
The PM’s foreword to the strategy warned: “It is an era of radical uncertainty and we must navigate it with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of the national interest. That is what keeping the British people safe demands.”
The document revealed that warfare between major powers is now “an active possibility”, with tensions between India and Pakistan at their highest levels for decades and “dangerous and destabilising Chinese activity” threatening stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Daily attacks already happening
The strategy laid bare the shocking reality that the UK is already under daily assault from our enemies:
- Hostile activity from Russia and Iran is increasing on British soil
- “Very, very frequent” cyber attacks target our infrastructure
- Russian surveillance vessels prowl British waters
- Criminal gangs flood our borders with illegal migrants
- Global terrorist groups continue plotting attacks
As one defence expert put it: “The front line is no longer in some distant battlefield – it’s right here on our doorstep.”
Beijing’s balancing act
Lammy’s approach to China raised eyebrows across Westminster. While acknowledging Beijing as a threat, he insisted the UK must pursue a “trade and investment relationship” to boost our economy.
The UK’s approach to China will be founded on progressive realism, taking the world as it is, not as we wish it to be,” he told MPs, prompting groans from the Conservative benches.
The Foreign Secretary revealed he’s considering a trip to Beijing – only the second by a UK foreign secretary in six years – as part of efforts to “reset” relations despite spy scandals and human rights abuses.
A nation on alert
The message from this strategy couldn’t be clearer: Britain must transform itself into what Starmer calls a “battle-ready, armour-clad nation” ready to face threats that are “more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War.”
For families across Britain, the implications are stark. This isn’t about some distant conflict in a faraway land – it’s about preparing for the possibility that war could come to our streets, our infrastructure could be crippled by cyber attacks, and our way of life could be under direct assault.
As hostile states circle like vultures and technology transforms the nature of warfare itself, one thing is certain: the era of assuming Britain is safe behind its island fortress is well and truly over.
The question now is whether the Government can deliver on its promises to protect us – or whether we’re sleepwalking into a nightmare scenario where our enemies strike while we’re still arguing about the bill.
