Keeping Britain Safe, Crawley Observer Column, Wednesday 8th July 2026

Since VE Day’s 80th Anniversary, the House of Commons has been reading the names of members of the parliamentary community who lost their lives in the two world wars as part of a page turning ceremony of the Parliamentary Books of Remembrance.

Last week, it was my privilege to lead the ceremony, remembering the sacrifice of 2nd Lieutenant Garnet Norman of the Royal Fusiliers.

With the end of the Cold War, generations have now lived free from fear of existential conflict. Unfortunately, in place of a war of ideologies, we have simply seen a return to aggressive Nationalism, sparking conflicts across the world and once more putting the UK at risk of being drawn into a total war.

Over recent years, I’ve often recalled the quote apocryphally attributed to Orwell that ‘people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.’ Nationalism may be driving states to increasingly seek-out war, but failing to prepare for conflict is to put out a welcome mat for those who seek it.

We prepare Britain for war because we desire peace, not conflict, and knowing that the safest way to protect our borders is by helping our allies to guard their own from those who would do us harm.

The Defence Investment Plan is set to deliver the biggest increase in UK defence spending since the Falklands, setting a course for 3.5% of GDP to be spent on defence by 2035. That will come with a big opportunity cost and more may still be needed, but there is no responsible alternative: the most basic obligation of a state is the protection of its citizens.

The nature of warfare is changing, I saw that first-hand in Ukraine, but talking to military and academic experts in the field, this plan gives us the investment we need now to deliver the expensive long-timeline pieces of equipment we will need regardless of these changes and upon which the lower cost quickly-evolving technology can then be adopted when needed. We are preparing for a marathon, not a sprint.