The threat posed to the UK by Russia is real and growing and spending on the military is focused on combating that, defence minister Luke Pollard has said.
He told GB News: “We need to be aware that the threats that Russia poses to the UK are not just military threats. There’s a number of kind of grey zone threats that are below the level of military conflict.
“Some of that is about espionage and sabotage. Some of that is about cyber-attacks. And as a result, we’ve been increasing our spend in those areas to make sure that we have increased capabilities, but we’re also working more closely with our allies because, by the very nature of some of these risks, they are cross-border, and that’s why we’ve been working more closely, in particular with our NATO allies in Europe, against some of the actions that we’re seeing both in the UK potentially, but also elsewhere.
“Now, people should be reassured that we are spending more on defence, and our country is well defended. But the risk that Russia poses is real, and it’s growing. And for that reason, we’re increasing defence spending.”
He added: “The world has become darker. We’ve seen a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We’ve seen increased Russian activities. The individuals involved have changed roles a number of times during that position. Politics has changed, but what hasn’t changed is the importance of a strong UK-US special relationship.
“Now, I take the view that it’s okay to disagree. I think that is GB News’s position on political debate as well. But I do want us to make sure that when we are focusing on the areas where we disagree we also have a firm focus on the many, many more areas where we do share common ground, where we do agree, and the US and the UK share that common perspective on defence and security.
“As a defence minister, I see it every day with our brilliant armed forces working hand in hand with their American colleagues and colleagues across the NATO alliance and further afield, not only to keep our country safe, but to keep our allies safe in a more dangerous world.
“That’s what much of the conversation will be about between those leaders today, and it will build on the conversations that Andy Burnham has had with Donald Trump a number of times since taking office on the phone.”
