Adam Boulton: Tories trying to open election divide over defence, but Sir Keir Starmer says he is not Jeremy ‘Stop the War’ Corbyn

Published

1 year ago

April 28, 2024

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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.

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv moves US tanks away from frontlines after ‘hunter-killer drone’ attacks

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

UK

Marcus Monzo: Hainault sword killer given life sentence for murder of schoolboy

Published

9 hours ago

June 27, 2025

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Marcus Monzo: Hainault sword killer given life sentence for murder of schoolboy

A man who murdered a 14-year-old boy with a samurai sword as he walked to school in east London has been sentenced to life in prison.

Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, nearly decapitated Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute rampage in which he attacked five others in Hainault on 30 April last year.

Mr Justice Bennathan told Monzo on Friday that he would serve a minimum of 40 years in prison.

Including time he has already served in custody, it means he will be in prison for 38 years and 309 days before he is eligible for parole, at which point he would be at least 75 years old – though he may never be released.

Handing down the sentence, Mr Justice Bennathan said: “In Hainault, east London, just before 7am on 30 April last year, the weather was good, and the streets were starting to fill with people on their way to work and even a few children heading off early to school.

“Over the 20 minutes that followed, that peaceful, busy scene was devastated as members of the public were attacked, police officers were gravely injured, a couple were terrified in their own home and a clever, talented young boy was killed.

“You, Marcus, did all of that. Daniel was a clever boy, he was gifted musically and played a variety of sports well. His loss is devastating to his parents, his brother and sister and his grandparents

“I am very conscious that no sentence I can pass can even begin to temper Daniel’s family’s grief.”

Daniel’s father Dr Ebenezer Anjorin spoke outside the court alongside Daniel’s mother, Grace Anjorin, after Monzo’s sentencing.

He said: “This has been a painful and deeply traumatic chapter in our lives. No verdict or sentence can bring back our son, Daniel, who we loved so dearly.

“But we are grateful that justice has been served. Daniel was taken from us in a way that no family should ever have to endure.

“His life had so much potential ahead. He was gifted academically, was kind and had a generous spirit that touched everyone who knew him. We carry that light with us even in this dark time.”

The family thanked police, the prosecution team and “all those who worked tirelessly to seek the truth”.

Mr Anjorin added that the family would “honour Daniel’s memory not in the shadow of this tragedy, but through the love and happiness that he brought to us and all those who knew him”.

Earlier, in a victim impact statement read to the court, Dr Anjorin condemned Monzo’s “wicked” actions and said that he could not begin to describe the “pain and anguish” the family felt at losing Daniel.

Mr Anjorin said: “We will not see him get married or have children. All the normal things parents hope for their children. All these hopes and aspirations have been cruelly snatched away from us through the wicked actions of Marcus Monzo.

“It has been the worst nightmare experience of our lives. To have to go through the pain of losing a child in such a cruel and savage way. No family should have to go through this.”

Prosecutors said Monzo tried “to kill as many people as he could” while under the influence of cannabis after he skinned and deboned his pet cat Wizard.

Monzo, a Spanish-Brazilian national from Newham in east London, admitted two charges of possessing an offensive weapon relating to two swords, which he said he bought for display purposes.

He claimed he had no memory of carrying out the attacks and denied Daniel’s murder, along with four charges of attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.

He was found guilty of Daniel’s murder and three charges of attempted murder at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

Monzo was cleared of one count of attempted murder – instead found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm – and convicted of aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.

During the trial, the jury was shown CCTV footage from the morning of the attack, with audible screams in one clip as Monzo drove his grey Ford Transit van at speed into pedestrian Donato Iwule.

Mr Iwule told jurors: “I thought I was dying” and “I saw blood coming out of my neck”, after he was struck with a sword before running away.

Witnesses described how Monzo was running around “like a maniac” and “looked a bit mad, like there was nothing there”.

Daniel, who had left home at around 7am wearing headphones and school sports clothes, suffered “a near-decapitation” when Monzo attacked him with the weapon from behind, prosecutor Tom Little KC told the jury.

PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield chased the armed attacker through alleyways before Monzo struck her three times with the 60cm blade using “extreme force”, the court heard.

He then entered a nearby house through the back door and walked upstairs before attacking sleeping couple Sindy Arias and Henry De Los Rios Polania, who he asked: “Do you believe in God?”

Mr Little said their lives were only spared because their four-year-old daughter, who was sleeping nearby, woke up and started to cry.

Monzo, who had been cornered by police, also struck Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before he was finally disarmed and arrested after trying to climb onto a garage to escape.

UK

Four people arrested after aircraft vandalised at RAF Brize Norton

Published

17 hours ago

June 27, 2025

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Four people arrested after aircraft vandalised at RAF Brize Norton

Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after two aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, police have said.

A second woman has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East said in a statement: “A 29-year-old woman of no fixed abode, and two men; aged 36 and 24, both from London, were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

“A 41-year-old woman, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.”

Police said the arrests on Thursday in Newbury in Berkshire, and in London, “are in connection with an incident in the early hours of [last] Friday during which damage was caused to two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton”.

The four people are currently in custody while enquiries are ongoing, police added.

Palestine Action said the arrests “further demonstrate that proscription is not about enabling prosecutions under terrorism laws – it’s about cracking down on non-violent protests which disrupt the flow of arms to Israel during its genocide in Palestine”.

The group posted a video online claiming it was behind the vandalism at the Oxfordshire airbase last Friday, saying activists had damaged two military planes at the base.

Palestine Action – which focuses its campaigns on multinational arms dealers and has previously targeted corporate banks – said two activists “broke into the largest air force base in Britain and used electric scooters to swiftly manoeuvre towards the planes”.

Repurposed fire extinguishers were used to spray red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyagers, while further damage was made using crowbars.

“Red paint, symbolising Palestinian bloodshed was also sprayed across the runway and a Palestine flag was left on the scene,” a statement by the group said.

Brize Norton is the largest RAF station, with approximately 5,800 service personnel, 300 civilian staff and 1,200 contractors.

A security review was launched across the “whole defence estate” following the breach, which was condemned as “absolutely staggering” by Ben Obese-Jecty, a Tory MP and former Army officer.

Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “act of vandalism” as “disgraceful”, adding: “Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Monday that Palestine Action will be proscribed as a terrorist organisation following the breach at RAF Brize Norton.

She said a draft proscription order will be laid in parliament next week, and if passed, it will make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.

Proscription can lead to prison sentences of up to 14 years for some offences, although some breaches are punishable with fines.

Saeed Taji Farouky, a member of the group, told Sky News the proscription was “completely irrational” and “without precedent”.

He branded it a “knee-jerk reaction from the government” because the group “was able to humiliate them and show serious flaws in the defences of the RAF base”.

UK

Husband spotted ‘smiling’ on bus after stabbing wife to death found guilty of murder

Published

18 hours ago

June 27, 2025

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Husband spotted 'smiling' on bus after stabbing wife to death found guilty of murder

A man seen “smiling” on CCTV after stabbing his wife to death as she pushed their seven-month-old baby in a pram has been found guilty of murder.

Habibur Masum, 26, launched the “ferocious” attack on 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter after tracing her to a refuge where she went to escape his “violence, jealousy and controlling behaviour”, a court heard.

She suffered more than 25 knife injuries after Masum found her through her phone location and confronted her in a street in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on 6 April last year.

After fleeing the scene, he got on a bus where CCTV footage showed him smiling, prosecutor Steve Wood KC told Bradford Crown Court.

He said the image “removed all possible doubt” about his intent and state of mind.

“There were no tears, there was no distress. Perhaps, members of the jury, the smile you can clearly see form as he gets on that bus is as a result of him thinking at that point he’s getting away. The smiling killer,” he told the court.

After a four-day manhunt, Masum was arrested 150 miles away in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where he lived when the couple first came to the UK, having met and married in Bangladesh.

He had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a knife but denied murder, claiming he had intended to kill himself in front of his wife but “totally lost control”.

On Friday, Masum was convicted of murder, alongside one count of assault, making threats to kill, and one charge of stalking. He was cleared of another charge of assault.

He had no visible reaction as the verdicts were read out. Judge Mr Justice Cotter told him he will be sentenced on 22 July, when the minimum term for his life sentence will be decided.

Told social worker husband ‘would kill her one day’

Mr Wood described Masum’s relationship with his wife as “abusive… characterised by his jealousy, possessiveness and controlling behaviour”.

After moving to Oldham, Greater Manchester, together in 2022, she left him – moving in first with her brother in July 2023, before being relocated to the Bradford refuge by social services in January 2024.

She left the relationship after he held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her in response to a “completely innocuous” message she received from a male colleague in November 2023, the court was told.

Ms Atker told a social worker afterwards that she “believed that one day her husband would kill her”.

Masum denied the November incident and claimed his wife had fabricated a domestic violence case against him as a way to stay in the UK – as he wanted to return to Bangladesh.

He was subject to court bail conditions ordering him to keep away from her at the time of the murder.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated both West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester Police’s prior contact with Ms Atker, saying in a statement on Friday that the probe concluded in December – but will not be made public so as not to prejudice the victim’s inquest.

3pm attack in front of onlookers

During the trial, Mr Wood told the jury Masum managed to track Ms Akter to Bradford and, days before the attack, tried to lure her into leaving the refuge by pretending to be from a GP’s surgery and offering her fake appointments.

She was walking with a friend and pushing her son in a pram at 3pm on the day she died when she was confronted by Masum, who she thought was in Spain.

CCTV showed Masum walking with Ms Akter until he stopped her, spun her and the pram around, and pulled a knife from his jacket.

“He tried to encourage Kulsuma back into the relationship,” West Yorkshire Police’s senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson said outside court after the verdict.

“When she dismissed that, he repeatedly stabbed her in front of horrified onlookers. He left her there to die. He walked away and utilised public transport to facilitate his escape out of Bradford.”

Ms Akter fell to the ground after she was stabbed, in the attack described by Mr Wood as a “cold-blooded, calculated, premeditated murder”.

“As a final act of sheer gratuitous violence, he kicks Kulsuma before moving away, but not before ensuring that he disposed of the knife,” he told the court.

Ms Akter’s stab injuries included ones to her body, neck, and face, he added.

Claims he wanted to ‘kill himself in front of her’

Giving evidence through a Bengali interpreter, Masum told the jury he tracked down his wife “still optimistic” he could save his marriage, but if that did not work he thought: “I will just kill myself in front of her.”

He broke down in tears as he claimed he “totally lost control”, later saying that the next thing he could remember was walking along the road with bloodstains on his hand.

But speaking after the court hearing, West Yorkshire Police’s DCI Atkinson said Masum had “realised the extent of evidence against him” so was trying to lean on “diminished responsibility”.

Describing the nature of the murder, she said it was “really unusual” to see “an event unfold on CCTV as it did”.

“Kulsuma suffered a brutal attack in broad daylight whilst her baby son was in his pram,” she said in a statement.

“Kulsuma’s family have been left absolutely devastated by her death, I hope today’s conviction will bring them a sense of justice in knowing that the man responsible for her death has been found guilty.”

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