The UK’s long-delayed Defence Investment Plan was a final humiliation for Sir Keir Starmer as he struggled to gloss over the gaping defence funding gap. But it’s not how much is spent, but what it is spent on that matters. The frenetic pace of Mil-Tec evolution in the wake of the Ukraine War highlights how the next war will likely be fought. It’s time for a complete overhaul on the defence establishment’s approach to rearmament.

The UK government intends to raise spending on defence by nearly 0.2% of GDP. Give me a break! The costs of trying to fight war on the cheap will be far higher than the costs of maintaining the Peace by being properly prepared to fight a war. To keep the peace means being prepared to fight – and fight hard. Such costs may bring substantial economic benefits.