Defence Secretary says UK must be ready for war within 1,000 days

The Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, has said the UK must be ready for war within 1,000 days, warning that Britain's adversaries could be ready to attack by 2030. He said the figure is not arbitrary and reflects NATO's threat assessment of Russia's readiness to fight a war with NATO.

Speaking during a visit to Poland, where he signed an agreement to develop new weapons and counter-drone technologies, Streeting said the threat environment is grave. He pointed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and Iran. He also cited what he called Russia's state-sponsored terrorism and hybrid warfare against NATO allies. He said the war is not one the UK wants but one it is determined to prevent, and argued that Vladimir Putin should not be taken at his word because he denied plans to invade Ukraine days before the invasion.

Ahead of the budget, Streeting said more money would go into defence. He said the government had already delivered the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War and that further funding would come. He said he was confident the government would provide what the Ministry of Defence needs, while insisting extra spending must be matched by value for money. He indicated the UK was on course to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, and said the government had agreed to spend 3.5% by 2035, with a path set out in the spending review.

He rejected a description of Putin by the US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff as a humanitarian, calling him a warmonger and a cold-blooded killer. On Iran, Streeting said the UK had supported defensive action and pointed to an IRGC plot against RAF Fairford. He also declined to say whether it would be better for peace in the Middle East if Benjamin Netanyahu lost the Israeli elections, but stood by earlier criticism of the Israeli government's conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.