The UK must “actively prepare” for a war on home territory while the threat from nuclear weapons is growing, the Government’s National Security Strategy said. The Cabinet Office document appeared to go further than the recent Strategic Defence Review in warning of a “direct threat” against the UK. It said countries like Russia and Iran are already carrying out cyber attacks, sabotage and directly threatening the UK. But it warned that “some” enemies are “laying the foundations for future conflict” and putting themselves in a position “to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression”. The strategy said: “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.” At the same time, “the threat to the UK and our allies from nuclear weapons is once again growing”, the strategy published on Tuesday said. “Tackling this challenge is likely to be more complex than it was even in the Cold War, with more states with more nuclear weapons, the further proliferation of nuclear and disruptive technology, and the failure of international arms control arrangements to keep pace,” the strategy said. (Photo: Jack Guez/AFP)

Increased nuclear threat

The nuclear threat is one of many highlighted in the report, from the Channel crisis and to Islamist and extreme-right terror, to “economic coercion” and the undermining of traditional allies in the era of Donald Trump’s tariff-wielding United States. But the strategy also warns of novel threats including “new chemical and biological weapons”, hypersonic missiles like those deployed by Russia, as well as artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced weapons systems. “Some of these technologies will be available to a wider range of threat actors, posing new challenges to traditional concepts of deterrence and escalation.” As part of building resilience to these new threats, the Government has announced the creation of a new £1bn network of National Biosecurity Centres to “bolster the UK’s defences against biological incidents, accidents and attacks.” (Photo: Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Annual ‘National Exercise’

The Government will meanwhile organise an annual “National Exercise” to build resilience to attacks across society. The i Paper understands this is not expected to involve most civilians, but is likely to be modelled on the Pegasus national pandemic exercise this year, which will include “local resilience forums” made up of police, fire and ambulance services, as well as councils, the NHS, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), alongside transport and telecoms companies, the utilities and others. Asked about the report, Sir Keir Starmer said the UK is facing “daily challenges on the home front” that it must guard against. Asked if the UK is at threat of attack the Prime Minister told Sky News: “Well, we are facing daily challenges on the home front. So whether that’s cyber attacks, which are very, very frequent and very, very serious, whether that is a focus on energy security. “We see have seen from the Ukraine war that energy is weaponised by our adversaries. And of course, you’ve seen state actions by Iran and Russia. In the United Kingdom, we have to guard properly against those threats and we will do so.” (Photo: Ben Stansall/WPA Pool/Getty)

More cuts to pay for defence spending

Alongside highlighting threats, the report draws on work across Government, including recent plans to revamp the defence sector and boost the economy by backing growth industries, with the aim of bolstering the security of the UK. Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden told the Commons the whole country must now be “clear-eyed and hard-edged” about the threats it faces. “We are in an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security,” the strategy warned, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the most pressing example. It suggests there may be more cuts to increase defence spending, saying: “We have already taken the difficult decision to cut spending on overseas development to allow us to increase investment in our Armed Forces. More tough choices can be expected as we head towards higher spending on defence and national security.” This comes as Starmer is in the Netherlands for a Nato summit after pledging to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. It also warns of the danger to the UK economy if conflicts and tensions in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific intensify. “Tensions between India and Pakistan have reached their highest levels for decades. The possibility of major confrontation in the Indo-Pacific continues to grow, with dangerous and destabilising Chinese activity threatening international security.” (Photo: Ben Stansall/AP)

Threats to the economy and energy costs

“We have seen direct military conflict between Israel and Iran. This follows years of aggressive and destabilising activity by the Iranian regime which has included activity specifically targeted against UK interests at home and overseas. Significant escalation in any of these theatres would have a profoundly negative impact on our energy security, the cost of living and our ability to grow our economy.” Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary David Lammy (pictured) revealed the Government’s long-awaited China audit has recommended that while Beijing’s spying and interference in British democracy and attempts to undermine the UK economy have increased, the Asian country is still “vital” for economic growth. Lammy said the audit would not be published as it contained “highly classified” details that would damage the national interest if published. But summarising its findings, Lammy said that while China’s power is an “inescapable fact”, that as the world’s second largest economy, it was important to build the trade relationship. “Not engaging with China is… no choice at all,” he told MPs. Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said the Government “has gone cap in hand to China to bail out its terrible handling of the British economy”. She claimed “the Government has constantly and suspiciously backed the application for this new China “super-embassy” in London” rather than listening to concerns about security. (Photo: Parliament TV/PA Wire)