UK 'lacks plan for defending homeland,' parliament committee report warns

LONDON

The UK has “no plan for defending the homeland” and is failing to prepare for rising global threats, a powerful committee of MPs has warned.

While the UK remains a leading European military power, its ability to sustain this position is “under pressure,” according to a House of Commons Defense Select Committee report released on Wednesday.

It warned that NATO—described as the “cornerstone of UK defense policy”—faces challenges from "Russian aggression," changing US priorities, and “systemic threats posed by China, Iran, and North Korea.”

The committee said the government must “urgently strengthen” both its conventional and nuclear forces, boost defense industry capacity, and ensure it can defend the UK and its overseas territories.

It also urged ministers to be “clear-eyed” about the stakes of the war in Ukraine, calling it “a war to defend Europe and protect civil society against Russian aggression.”

MPs said Europe is facing a “significant” security threat, citing “the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the collapse of arms control treaties and threats of nuclear proliferation and use; incursions into European airspace; espionage, assassination, and sabotage across the continent and in the UK.”

The report criticized the government’s strategic defense review and national security strategy for ambitious goals that “lack detail on prioritization and capability trade-offs.”

They said the forthcoming defense investment plan must fill these gaps.

The committee concluded: “The UK must act decisively to ensure it remains secure at home and a credible leader abroad.”