Adam Boulton: Tories trying to open election divide over defence, but Sir Keir Starmer says he is not Jeremy ‘Stop the War’ Corbyn
We have been warned. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pre-election pitch to voters this week was to place the nation on “war footing”.
On a lightning visit to Poland and Germany, countries redolent of bloody war in Europe, he announced “a completely funded plan” to raise annual UK defence spending to 2.5% of national income over the next five to six years.
Twenty-five years ago this week another UK prime minister also had war fighting on his mind.
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‘Fully funded’ defence plan
Tony Blair flew to the US to deliver one of the defining speeches of his 10 years in power. His immediate task was to persuade a reluctant President Bill Clinton to commit to NATO’s defence of Kosovo against Serbian aggression.
He set it in the context of a broader ideology which became known as “humanitarian” or “liberal interventionism”.
“We are all internationalists now, whether we like it or not,” he told the Chicago Economic Club gathered in a dingy hotel ballroom – and a global TV audience. “We cannot turn our backs on conflicts and the violation of human rights within other countries if we want still to be secure.”
The contrast in tone is stark between Mr Blair’s positive argument for the use of force in some circumstances and Mr Sunak’s urgent plea that “we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values”.
The UK’s military options have darkened and narrowed since April 1999. A point encapsulated by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps when he observed our times have moved “from post-war to pre-war”.
Mr Blair was speaking during what some called the “unipolar moment” when the US was considered to be the only global superpower, 10 years before the Iron Curtain had come down, heralding the collapse of the Soviet Union.
China seemed to be anxious to join in the world order which had been established by the Western democracies since 1945. In what were essentially wars of choice, the UK had successfully projected its forces to liberate the Falkland Islands and Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces had been ejected from Kuwait.
Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. Pic: Reuters
Blair’s view not vindicated by subsequent events
Mr Blair’s Chicago speech celebrated that “our armed forces have been busier than ever – delivering humanitarian aid, deterring attacks on defenceless people, backing up UN resolutions and occasionally engaging in major wars”.
His view was shared by the then United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan who had suggested UN articles could be re-examined to permit more “interventions” in an interdependent world.
British troops in Afghanistan
British soldiers in Kuwait. Pics: PA
For many Mr Blair’s world view was not vindicated by subsequent events.
There was widespread support for the invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks on America in 2001, but the UN did not endorse George W Bush and Mr Blair’s expansion of the war on terror to invade Iraq.
In both cases, the interventions did not achieve their long-term aims and left behind destabilised, undemocratic countries. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, British forces failed to fulfil the military objectives which had been set for them.
British soldiers patrol Helmand province in Afghanistan. Pic: Reuters
Tony Blair meets British troops in Basra, Iraq. Pic: PA
Scepticism about intervention
By 2010 there was no public support in the UK or US for “boots on the ground” when instability spread to Libya and Syria, although some aerial operations continued.
In 2013 scepticism about intervention was so great the House of Commons effectively vetoed a missile response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict.
When Mr Blair spoke in Chicago the so-called “peace dividend” had already been claimed.
Defence spending was down from the 4% of GNP (gross national product) it had been during the Falklands war and when the Berlin Wall fell. UK defence spending however was still comfortably above the 2% target expected of NATO members.
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Pessimism growing around UK’s ability to defend itself
Since the credit crunch of 2007/8, our defence spending has plunged close to that NATO minimum. Mr Sunak’s announcement would only increase defence spending to the level of the Blair years.
Overall since the year 2000, the number of people employed in the British military has been cut by 30%, heading from 134,000 to 72,000 next year. The army has not been this small since the Napoleonic Wars of the 1800s.
Pessimism has grown about the UK’s diminishing armed forces and our ability to defend ourselves.
In a major report this year MPs on the cross-party Defence and Security Committee reported: “The government risks being unable to build true warfighting and strategic readiness because of the sheer pace of operations, which could threaten the security of the UK. All three services have growing capability shortfalls.”
British troops take part in a NATO peacekeeping patrol along the Kosovo-Serbia border. Pic: Reuters
UK ‘no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force’
There was an outcry when the last defence secretary, Ben Wallace, revealed a senior US general told him this country “is no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force”.
He and his deputy, the armed forces minister James Heappey, have endorsed Mr Sunak’s plan but they are both quitting politics and believe spending should go up further than 2.5%.
Top generals claim the army is becoming too small to fulfil its functions. A former head of the British Army, Sir Patrick Sanders, has called for a significant expansion of civilian “reserve” forces.
Manpower is not everything. Advanced technology cuts the numbers needed and can enhance fighting capacity.
The UK is 29th in the world for the size of its military but rated sixth for its firepower, behind only the US, Russia, China, India and South Korea. Either way personnel and weapons cost money.
Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Pic: PA
Tories trying to open up election divide
The Conservatives are trying to open up an election dividing line with Labour over defence spending.
But Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly stressed his patriotism and his commitment to the defence of the realm. He is not Jeremy “Stop the War” Corbyn.
The Labour leadership have said “we all want 2.5%” spending but they are refusing to confirm how and when it would be paid for unless and until they are in government.
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak’s spending plan has not convinced independent experts.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies doubts he could find the extra money for defence while still cutting taxes and without deep cuts in other spending.
Campaigning promises are perhaps easier to make when polling suggests the Conservatives are unlikely to have to pick up the pieces after winning the election.
George W Bush and Tony Blair. Pic: PA
Middle East events justify government choices about using armed forces
Convincing the electorate of the need to spend more on defence may not be too difficult for either Mr Sunak or Sir Keir.
In Chicago, Mr Blair seemed almost to be making a hypothetical case when he said: “We have learnt twice before in this century that appeasement does not work. If we let an evil dictator range unchallenged, we will have to spill infinitely more blood and treasure to stop him later.”
Awful as subsequent events have been in the Middle East, with hindsight they did justify indisputably the choices which UK governments made about using their armed forces.
Ukrainian soldiers during an exchange of prisoners of war
Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar. Pics: Reuters
Being involved no longer a matter of choice
Now war has arrived again on European soil. Russia has launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine and is issuing vicious threats against Ukraine’s allies including the UK.
As yet NATO members are holding back from joining in the fighting. Even so, military aid for Ukraine has placed significant demands on UK defence spending. Being involved is no longer a matter of choice.
Public opinion is preparing for the worst.
This year a majority of those questioned in this country, 53%, told YouGov they expect there will be another world war in the next five to 10 years.
MPs will today debate a change in the law proposed by a bereaved mother who believes social media may hold crucial clues to her son’s death.
Jools Sweeney was 14 when he was found unconscious at home in April 2022.
His parents and friends who saw him earlier that day say there were no signs he was depressed.
A coroner found he took his own life, but that he probably did not intend to, as he was unable to confirm he was in a suicidal mood.
His mother Ellen Roome suspects he may have taken part in an online challenge.
She has spent two years trying to get access to his social media accounts but says the tech companies have made it “very difficult”.
Her petition to allow bereaved parents or guardians to access a child’s full social media history attracted 126,000 signatures, known as Jools Law, and will be debated in parliament later.
“Earlier in the day he was playing football with a group of friends,” she said.
“You can see on our security camera he said goodbye to his friend, all chirpy, an hour and a half before I got home.
“We can’t have all, his parents, friends, teachers, grandparents, missed depression. And so we’re left with these huge question marks,” she said.
“The pain in my heart of not knowing what happened that night or why is incredibly hard. I don’t want another family to go through it.”
‘It’s my gut feeling and I just want to know’
MPs are to debate Ellen Roome’s suggestions
Ms Roome, 48 from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, fears her son may have taken part in an online challenge which led to his death.
The police and coroner did not gather forensic data from his phone.
With help from her son’s friends, Ellen has been able to unlock his phone and access some of his accounts, but some material has been deleted.
She says the tech companies have not given her full access to what Jools was looking at before his death.
“I have always said I don’t know it’s social media but that’s always been my gut feeling and I just want to know – it’s the missing piece of the jigsaw,” she said.
“He did an awful lot of challenges, like standing on his hands putting a t-shirt on upside down. I thought they were fun, viral challenges. I never knew about some of the more dangerous ones.
“The police didn’t ask for the data from social media companies. The detective didn’t even find out he had more than one TikTok and Instagram account.”
She says the social media companies have not given her all his messages and browsing history.
“They could say ‘here it is, I hope you get some answers’. They could redact the details of other children.”
Jools died a week after 12-year-old Archie Battersbee from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was left brain-damaged by what a coroner concluded was an online prank and later died.
Sky News has contacted Meta, which owns Instagram, as well as TikTok and Snapchat. None provided an on-the-record statement, but they are understood to have been in contact with Ms Roome.
Ms Roome wants access to her late son’s social media
Police ‘supporting’ family
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said they were limited in what they could request because it was not a criminal case.
“We cannot fathom how upsetting it must be for the family to not have answers after Jools took his own life.
“We supported the Sweeney family and coroner’s office throughout an investigation into the cause of his death.
“As part of this Jools’s phone was given to police and a review of the contents took place, as well as the manual review of a TikTok account. Nothing was found as part of these searches to provide any answers.
“Police are limited in what lines of enquiry can be taken to access private social media accounts hosted by private companies due to legislation, which states that you have to be proving or disproving an indictable offence, which is not applicable in this case and therefore there was no legal basis to apply for a production order.
“We know this sadly doesn’t help Jools’ family get the answers they are searching for, and we continue to support them with their own application for access to his social media accounts.”
A TikTok representative held a meeting with Ms Roome last year and explained that the law requires companies to delete people’s personal data – unless there is a police request for it.
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‘I don’t want any other family in my position’
In April 2024, new powers allowing coroners to require the production of social media evidence were introduced. Jools’s inquest was by then closed.
Ms Roome is preparing a case to go to the High Court to get a fresh inquest and is crowdfunding the £86,000 cost to find answers.
The government issued a response to Ms Roome’s petition, saying that tech companies should respond to requests from bereaved parents in a “humane and transparent way”.
A new Digital Information and Data Bill, to be passed this year, would compel social media companies to retain data in cases where a child has died, so a coroner can request it.
But Ms Roome is worried it would not compel coroners and police to request the data.
Peter Kyle has said he will be looking ‘very, very closely’ at the issue. Pic: PA
“I don’t want any other family to be in the position I am two-and-a-half years after my son’s death. It should be automatic,” she said.
Her lawyer Merry Varney, partner at Leigh Day, also represented the family of Molly Russell who fought for months to access what she saw online.
‘It’s left to parents to fill the gaps’
Ms Varney told Sky News: “Getting that information is incredibly difficult, it’s a moving target. You’ve got the posters of the content, they control whether it’s deleted or made private.
“The social media companies take this line ‘it’s not for us, it’s not our responsibility’, which makes for a very challenging set of circumstances – and it’s not right.
“There’s a lot the social media and tech platforms say about wanting to help, to be seen to be doing the right thing. But are they transparent about the gaps? No.
“It’s left to the parents to fill the gaps themselves and it can be costly and difficult.”
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Technology Secretary Peter Kyle spoke to Sky News in November. He said: “Coroners have the power now to compel the release of that data so it can be looked at.
“I’m going to be looking very, very closely at how those powers are used, that all coroners know that they have those powers and then if there’s any additional powers that are needed going forward, then, of course, you know, I’m all ears to see how that could work.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
The government will “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK, with plans being unveiled today by Sir Keir Starmer.
The prime minister is set to promise investment, jobs and economic growth due to a boom in the sector.
It comes as his government battles against allegations they are mismanaging the economy and stymied growth with the budget last autumn.
The government’s announcement claims that, if AI is “fully embraced”, it could bring £47bn to the economy every year.
And it says that £14bn is set to be invested by the private sector, bringing around 13,000 jobs.
The majority of those would be construction roles to build new data centres and other infrastructure, with a smaller number of technical jobs once the work is finished.
Sir Keir said: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.
“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”
The prime minister added that he wants Britain to be “the world leader” in AI.
The government announcement said: “Today’s plan mainlines AI into the veins of this enterprising nation.”
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To achieve this, the government will implement all 50 recommendations made by Matt Clifford following his review last year.
This includes creating new AI “growth zones” – the first of which is set to be in Culham, Oxfordshire, where the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority is based.
These zones will get faster planning decisions and extra power infrastructure.
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The government also wants to increase UK computing power 20-fold by 2030, including by building a brand-new supercomputer.
Labour cancelled a planned supercomputer when it entered office, as it claimed it wasn’t funded. The new venture is expected to be a joint public-private project.
The government says its plans will have three pillars. This includes laying the foundations with new AI growth zones and the new supercomputer.
The second is to boost AI take up by the public and private sectors. New pilots for AI in the public service are set to be announced, and Sir Keir has written to all cabinet ministers, telling them to drive AI adoption and growth.
And the third pillar is keeping ahead of the pack, with the government set to establish a “team” to keep the UK “at the forefront of emerging technology”.
The announcement was welcomed by a slew of technology bosses.
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Chris Lehane, the chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, which released ChatGPT, said: “The government’s AI action plan – led by the prime minister and [Science] Secretary Peter Kyle – recognises where AI development is headed and sets the UK on the right path to benefit from its growth.
“The UK has an enormous national resource in the talent of its people, institutions and businesses which together, can leverage AI to advance the country’s national interest.”
The shadow secretary for science, innovation and technology, Alan Mak, said: “Labour’s plan will not support the UK to become a tech and science superpower. They’re delivering analogue government in a digital age.
“Shaping a successful AI future requires investment, but in the six months leading up to this plan, Labour cut £1.3bn in funding for Britain’s first next-generation supercomputer and AI research whilst imposing a national insurance jobs tax that will cost business in the digital sector £1.66bn.
“AI does have the potential to transform public services, but Labour’s economic mismanagement and uninspiring plan will mean Britain is left behind.”
The UK’s first safer drug consumption room is officially open.
The Thistle – based in Glasgow’s east end – will allow users to be able to consume drugs, including injecting heroin, under supervision in a clean and hygienic environment.
The pilot is being backed by the Scottish government, with Holyrood pledging up to £2.3m a year for the facility to help tackle the country’s drug-related deaths crisis.
Data from National Records of Scotland recently showed there were a total of 1,172 deaths due to drug misuse in 2023 – a rise of 121 (12%) on the previous year.
The Thistle is based at Hunter Street Health Centre. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
The safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) is based at Hunter Street Health Centre and will be open 365 days a year from 9am to 9pm.
It is hoped the centre will help addicts access wider support to improve their lives, as well as reduce the risk of blood-borne viruses (BBV) such as HIV.
The facility will not provide drugs – users will have to bring their own supply.
The waiting room and reception area. Pic: PA
The lounge area. Pic: PA
A bookshelf in the lounge area. Pic: PA
Alongside the eight individual injection booths, there is also a recovery area, private chatrooms, a lounge with books and hot drinks, a shower room, a clothing bank and an outdoor smoking shelter.
There are also two health rooms where users can access a range of treatments, including having any wounds looked at or BBV testing undertaken.
Staff and representatives from a variety of support organisations will also be stationed at the centre to assist those seeking help.
During a tour of the facilities on Friday ahead of its official opening on Monday, First Minister John Swinney said “encouraging progress” had been made since the Scottish government launched a national mission to reduce drug-related deaths.
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First Minister John Swinney visited the facility on Friday
He added: “While this facility is not a silver bullet, it is another significant step forward and will complement other efforts to reduce harms and deaths.
“Those with lived experience have been involved in the designing of the service and had input on staff recruitment.
“Indeed, people with lived experience, who know what it’s like to see people injecting drugs in unsafe conditions, have joined the workforce at the facility.”
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Injection kits will be provided to users. Pic: PA
An injection bay. Pic: PA
Dr Saket Priyadarshi, associate medical director for alcohol and drug services at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said The Thistle will provide a “severely marginalised group” access to the treatment and support they have been “lacking for years”.
He added: “We have strong evidence from other cities with similar problems that shows a SDCF in Glasgow could help prevent drug deaths, help stem the spread of HIV infection, reduce drug-related litter and significantly reduce costs in other health and social care services.
“We will learn a lot in the first three to six months, and we will keep developing services in response to the needs of the individuals.
“A robust independent evaluation will help us understand the impact the service has had on people who use it and the local community.”
The facility was first proposed in 2016, two years after Glasgow recorded the UK’s largest outbreak of HIV in people who inject drugs in more than 30 years.
However, it was blocked by the Home Office until 2023 when then Scottish secretary Alister Jack announced the UK government would not intervene to stop it from opening.
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Drug laws are set at Westminster but are enforced by the Scottish courts.
The pilot is able to go ahead after Scotland’s most senior legal officer said there would be no public interest in prosecuting people injecting under medical supervision in “injection bays” inside the building.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC stated: “I have concluded that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute people for simple possession offences when they are already in a place where help with their issues can be offered.”
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Ms Bain said she was “satisfied” the Glasgow facility can “provide a way for support services to engage with some of the most vulnerable people in society”.
However, she said the policy will not extend to people on their way to and from the facility or anywhere else in the city.
Ms Bain added: “I understand that this policy may be a source of anxiety for some who live and work near the facility.
“The policy is very narrow and does not mean other offending will be tolerated.
“Supply offences are not included and Police Scotland will enforce these, and other crimes, as they always have.”
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