Gathering storm....

While Russian missiles and drones hammer Ukraine with devastating intensity, the US holds back vital military equipment

By Lady Olga Maitland, 7 July 2025

A stark warning from Lord Robertson, former NATO secretary-general, former defence secretary and architect of the government’s Strategic Defence Review. At a meeting in London last week, he stressed his concerns about British resistance to increasing defence spending. The government recently lost a major vote to curb disability payments—with worrying consequences. £5bn could have been saved. Today, the UK spends £313bn on welfare, compared with a defence budget of just £59.8bn.

As he put it: “How do we beat the slogan, ‘Welfare, not warfare’? Do we really have to wait until the lights go out before the country responds? By then, it will be too late.” He went on to say: “We need, now, urgently, to remind people of the dangers that face us. We need to engage the public. We should follow the example of Sweden, which is actively engaging at all levels in public debate on defence spending.”

Hybrid warfare has already begun—cyberattacks, the cutting of undersea telecommunications cables, Russian aircraft testing our airspace, Russian naval ships probing our coasts, the manipulation of public opinion, and so on.

I am preparing a paper on this subject, drawing on my experience countering the anti-nuclear protest movement in the 1980s. Back then, the government feared public sentiment would undermine Britain’s resilience in the face of a propaganda war. The issues may have changed, but the principles remain the same.

7 July 2025