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Tories Pledge £10bn for British Anti-Missile Defence System
Confirmed
In Short: The Conservative Party has pledged to invest £10bn in a new anti-missile defence system, called 'Britannia Shield', if they win the next general election.
The Conservative Party has pledged to invest £10bn in a new anti-missile defence system, called 'Britannia Shield', if they win the next general election. The system, which would cover significant parts of the UK population in key high-density areas, would include new advanced radar systems, upgraded command and control systems, and new interceptor missiles.
Kemi Badenoch, the party leader, said the plan would be funded from within their commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, paid for by welfare reform and reprioritisation of other spending. The £10bn cost would be split over 10 years, with £1bn allocated each year.
The party cited a report from the defence committee of MPs last November, which said the UK was lagging behind its European counterparts in having a plan to defend itself and overseas territories from a military attack. General Sir Richard Barrons had previously told MPs that the cost of an Iron Dome system at entry level was probably £80bn over 10 years.
Prof Steven Barrett, CEO of Cambridge Aerospace, told the BBC that £10bn was a 'significant commitment' but the exact cost of the project would depend on the detail of the Conservatives' proposal. Sidharth Kaushal, a senior fellow at the defence and security think tank RUSI, said £10bn would 'probably cover' what the UK 'actually needs' including horizon radar and more E-7 aircraft.
Badenoch said the system would not be the daily onslaught that Israel has, so the UK does not need that level of capability. She added that the system would be designed to protect critical national infrastructure, such as data centres used by transport and health systems.
The party initially said the system would be 'in essence a British Iron Dome', but Badenoch later drew back from the comparison in broadcast interviews. She said the system would be specific to the kind of threat the UK faces.
The pledge comes as the Conservative Party faces criticism over the state of the UK's armed forces. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had previously admitted that the Armed Forces had been 'hollowed out and underfunded'.
What this adds
The £10bn investment is a significant sum for British politics, potentially transformative and highlighting the influence of major donors.
The system's design and cost are still under discussion, with experts noting that £10bn may not cover all aspects of a comprehensive missile defence system.
What's confirmed
- The Conservative Party has pledged to invest £10bn in a new anti-missile defence system, called 'Britannia Shield', if they win the next general election. The system, which would cover significant parts of the UK population in key high-density areas, would include new advanced radar systems, upgraded command and control systems, and new interceptor missiles.
- Kemi Badenoch, the party leader, said the plan would be funded from within their commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, paid for by welfare reform and reprioritisation of other spending. The £10bn cost would be split over 10 years, with £1bn allocated each year.
- The party cited a report from the defence committee of MPs last November, which said the UK was lagging behind its European counterparts in having a plan to defend itself and overseas territories from a military attack. General Sir Richard Barrons had previously told MPs that the cost of an Iron Dome system at entry level was probably £80bn over 10 years.
- Prof Steven Barrett, CEO of Cambridge Aerospace, told the BBC that £10bn was a 'significant commitment' but the exact cost of the project would depend on the detail of the Conservatives' proposal. Sidharth Kaushal, a senior fellow at the defence and security think tank RUSI, said £10bn would 'probably cover' what the UK 'actually needs' including horizon radar and more E-7 aircraft.
- Badenoch said the system would not be the daily onslaught that Israel has, so the UK does not need that level of capability. She added that the system would be designed to protect critical national infrastructure, such as data centres used by transport and health systems.
- The party initially said the system would be 'in essence a British Iron Dome', but Badenoch later drew back from the comparison in broadcast interviews. She said the system would be specific to the kind of threat the UK faces.
- The pledge comes as the Conservative Party faces criticism over the state of the UK's armed forces. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had previously admitted that the Armed Forces had been 'hollowed out and underfunded'.
What's still developing
- The UK's existing Sky Sabre air defence system, seen in 2022 at the Royal Artillery's change of colours parade at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island The Conservatives said the system would have three components - new advanced radar systems, upgraded command and control systems to integrate information from across Britain's defences and rapidly decide a response, and new interceptor missiles as well as counter-drone capabilities.
- "We could have a situation for example where people could come in very close to the English Channel and are able to send drones and missiles at our critical national infrastructure."
- "But that system would also be quite superfluous, arguably."
- "We need to get serious, we need to find savings."
- "But one that is totally necessary because of the threats we face."
- "Some people may not agree with those decisions but we are making choices." The Tories added the proposal would strengthen the UK's air defence systems at a time when Nato allies have warned they are facing repeated Russian drone incursions.
- He starts by saying “Britain needs to regenerate after more than a decade of decline” – a period that matches the Brexit debacle.
- Each handed over four times the single previous biggest gift to a British political party by any living person – and that came from one of this pair last year, who donated £9m to the same political party.
- These are huge and potentially transformative sums for British politics, whatever nonsense is spouted about levelling the playing field.
- Ironically, corruption of their system helped fuel the rise to power of Farage’s friend Donald Trump with all his talk of draining a Washington swamp that he has made even more sordid, not least with his blatant self-enrichment and cronyism.
- "In contrast, if what the Conservatives envision is a truly Israeli-style multi-layered missile defence system, £10bn probably wouldn't get there," he said.
- This system - which can intercept munitions and aircraft as well as integrate with wider air defences - was deployed by the UK to the Middle East earlier this year for defensive action against Iranian attacks.