Nation Faces Era of Heightened Confrontation
The UK must prepare for a potential wartime threat on its own soil, the government has warned in a new strategy. The updated national security review highlights a period of intensified confrontation with adversaries across multiple fronts.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden presented the review in the House of Commons on Tuesday. He said the strategy offers a “plan that is both clear-eyed and hard-edged about the challenges we face.”
The review was released as a NATO summit began in the Netherlands. Member nations aim to commit to spending 5% of national income on security by 2035.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the United Kingdom Headquarters
Russia Named as Principal Threat
The strategy identifies Russia’s war on Ukraine as the “most obvious and pressing example” of rising global threats. The review notes an increase in indirect campaigns, cyber-attacks and sabotage targeting the UK and NATO allies.
“Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict,” the document states. “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.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “The world has changed. Russian aggression menaces our continent. Strategic competition is intensifying.”
He added that extremist ideologies are rising and technology is changing both domestic and international security landscapes.
Russia named as the Principal Threat
Iran and Other State Threats Identified
The review names Iran as another significant threat due to its activity on British soil and increased alignment with Russia. It states that “Iranian hostile activity on British soil is also increasing” as part of efforts to silence critics and challenge UK security.
It details threats including espionage, sabotage, assassination, and cyber-attacks aimed at critical infrastructure. The document warns that undersea fibreoptic cables carrying 99% of UK data are under “persistent and growing” threat from Russian submarines.
China Audit Remains Classified
Foreign Secretary David Lammy addressed Parliament immediately after McFadden’s speech. He delivered a summary of the government’s China audit, which remains classified.
He described China as a “sophisticated and persistent threat” while acknowledging the need for ongoing engagement. “Not engaging with China is therefore no choice at all,” Lammy said.
He said the UK would “co-operate where we can and we will challenge where we must,” adding that national security would never be compromised.
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The review does not place China on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme. It does not define China as a threat but instead refers to it as a “challenge.”
A Downing Street spokesperson declined to repeat Lammy’s characterisation of China, instead pointing to the wording in the document.
Defence Industry Investment Planned
The review outlines increased spending on the UK’s defence and security industries. The government will invest £1 billion in a new network of national biosecurity centres.
The centres will enhance preparedness for biological attacks and future pandemic-related threats. The strategy also aims to strengthen AI capabilities, shipbuilding, and nuclear energy infrastructure.
Starmer’s government plans to reach NATO’s target of 5% of GDP for security by 2035. This includes 3.5% in core military spending and 1.5% for broader security programs.
All-of-Society Approach Urged
The review urges an “all-of-society effort” to defend the UK. It says citizens must “pull together” to support national security goals.
The document notes that some adversaries are using disinformation and social media to deepen social divisions. It says they aim to stoke “tensions between generations, genders and ethnic groups.”
Critical infrastructure, including power grids and supply chains, remains a key target. The review stresses the need to reduce dependence on foreign entities to avoid coercion or manipulation.
Strategic Shift from Previous Reviews
The document marks a shift from the 2021 Integrated Review issued by Boris Johnson’s government. That report focused heavily on pandemic resilience and biotechnology, topics which now receive minimal attention.
Instead, this year’s review focuses on direct threats from hostile states and outlines a broad framework to meet these challenges.
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel criticised the China audit, saying it lacked “any kind of serious strategic framework.”
She added, “The government has gone cap in hand to China to bail out its terrible handling of the British economy.”
NATO Coordination and Future Preparedness
The NATO summit in The Hague has brought defence and foreign ministers together to address rising global threats.
Leaders from 32 nations have reiterated commitments to security investment, particularly in the context of Russia’s military build-up.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently warned that if spending does not increase, citizens “better learn to speak Russian.”
The UK’s new security review confirms that the government intends to meet NATO benchmarks while protecting key national interests at home and abroad.
The government now focuses on reducing risks from hostile state activity, while enhancing domestic resilience across critical sectors.
