Ipsos poll finds 48 percent of Britons would refuse to fight

An Ipsos MORI poll has found that 48 percent of Britons would refuse to take up arms under any circumstances, while 36 percent said they would fight in the right circumstances. The result was discussed at length in a current affairs panel segment that used the finding to ask whether the country would still rally to the flag in a crisis.

The poll's ratio was compared with an Oxford debate in 1933, when the motion 'That this house will in no circumstances fight for king and country' was carried by 275 votes to 153. That vote took place shortly after Hitler took control in Germany. Churchill was among those who thought it was appalling, but when war came many who had opposed fighting changed their minds.

The panel did not treat the poll as a simple yes or no question. One panellist, Norman, said the phrase 'in no circumstances' was a ludicrous suggestion. He argued that if Britain were invaded, for example by Russia, the country would have to be defended. But he also said there was cynicism among the public about 'madcap overseas schemes', pointing to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. In his view, people would fight if the country was under threat, but not for every foreign intervention.

Other parts of the discussion asked whether Britain was the same country as in 1939. Some argued that people would rally to the flag if their way of life was directly threatened. Others were more sceptical, saying that a direct threat to UK territory was different from conflicts in the Middle East. The conversation also touched on whether people living in Britain who wanted to replace its way of life would fight for it. One response was that an invading force such as Russia would not distinguish between them, so they would end up resisting too.

The segment then widened into defence policy. Panellists said the UK was no longer a major military player in the way the United States is, and that China is closing the gap. They called for a bigger defence budget and said the country must think about threats differently, including cyber attacks and grey-zone actions such as cable cutting in the Channel. A former coalition figure defended past cuts as a response to the 2008 banking crisis, while others questioned whether defence money is spent well and whether procurement is too focused on the last war. The war in Ukraine was cited as a warning that the Ministry of Defence and the military must adapt more quickly.

Alliances were also debated. Speakers stressed that the UK's security depends on its alliance with the United States, whatever party holds the White House, and that the UK-US defence relationship should be preserved. One panellist said Lord Frost was right about the strength of that relationship, but added that Washington's politics had changed and that Donald Trump had rewritten the rules. The discussion also criticised damage to security and technology ties with Israel, and covered foreign wars, including the suggestion that a conflict with Iran could be Trump's biggest mistake.