Keir Starmer’s embrace of defence-first and nuclear future is the key development in British politics since Brexit. There can be little doubt the choice is not a choice at all. It is a decision forced on the British government by the world's changing situation.
The truism that everything has changed for Europe could not be more on-point. The post-Cold War peace dividend has been exposed as an exercise in delusion.
How quickly the defence establishment must now embrace an entirely different way of framing the security challenges a country like the UK must master.
For a start, it is not a matter of preparing for attack but one of being ready for full-scale confrontation. This kind of readiness is both a state of mind for officialdom and a shared enterprise across society.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the expansion of the nuclear arsenal following the Labour government’s Strategic Defence Review, released on Monday. Still under a year since the UK voted for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, it is remarkable how far he has travelled to fulfil his pledge to the “first duty” of any government as defence.
The composition of the panel that led the Strategic Defence Review was a clue to how deep its task would run. It included Lord Robertson, an ex-Nato Secretary General; Fiona Hill, a British-born former American national security lead on Russia and retired general Richard Barrons. They wrote on Monday about how Britain faces a world dominated by state-level confrontation while it is shaken by population growth, climate change, nuclear proliferation and the digital age.
Appointed last year, the three leaders have had to make several course corrections, not least around the policies coming out of US President Donald Trump's administration. What they applauded in their article was that the committed by the UK to go from 2.5 per cent to three per cent GDP spending on defence would create the resources to fund the change they were suggesting.
Donald Trump’s election has had a trigger effect all across Europe. The new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has straight up called for Germany to spend 5 per cent of its GDP on defence.
Whatever Russia’s direction, the need identified in the review is now for the Europeans to adopt a 'modernised Nato First approach'
As experts long concluded, well before Trump, that US strategy was all about China, now Europe’s strategy is all about Russia. America’s pullback is only one part of the picture, now that it is inevitable.
As ever, when a rivalry is a two-sided street an element of synthesis emerges. Russia has found itself with a war economy that is much more dynamic than western economists predicted. The Labour government in the UK is selling its defence plans as a form of reindustrialisation. Germany’s Vorsprung durch Technik (Progress through Technology) economy has struggled to produce real growth for most of this decade. Mr Trump, too, talks of revitalising his country’s industrial base, saying a nation must be built on steel. Three years into the Ukraine war all these blocs are in a symbiotic place, moving in a similar direction but not united on the overall ambitions of their policies.
Ugly truths that cannot be avoided are what’s at play as the scramble for arms plays out.
The question of how good the growth from defence spending will be is a hard one to get right. For sure, it means the states must set the market. About three years ago, I was at a conference where one of the sponsors from a large US defence firm stated his company was only going to build a single extra production line when a client (read government) committed £100 million ($135.4 million) in orders for its output.
By retooling the Russian industrial base for war Mr Putin has created certain internal dynamics that have boosted his position. The reality of a war economy with working-age men pushed to the frontlines gives the Kremlin a lot of internal sway. The very generous death payments for soldiers are recycled as spending power in some of the most worn down parts of Russia.
At the same time, the returns are next to nothing on the battlefield. Ukraine’s resourceful playbook grows ever more audacious as evidenced by Sunday’s reported drone attacks on the strategic bomber fleet. With the UK rushing to upgrade its nuclear position, a blow like that suffered by sabotage is a strategic reverse for Russia.
The sustainable position that Kremlin hopes for is growing increasingly dependent on the talks and resolution offered by Mr Trump. Leave that too late and Russia will truly be left with only the laws of diminishing returns to keep going.
Whatever Russia’s direction, the need identified in the SDR is now for the Europeans to adopt a “modernised Nato First approach”. There are vast sums now being committed by London and officials hope that economic growth will be boosted by the programme of investments.
Despite this the SDR reminds Mr Starmer that an overhaul of Nato is the only effective, affordable option for the UK. That is coded language for America moving out and the Europeans taking their own theatre of security much more seriously than before.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
AS IT STANDS IN POOL A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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THE%C2%A0SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%204-cylinder%202.5-litre%20%2F%202-litre%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20188hp%20%2F%20248hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20244Nm%20%2F%20370Nm%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%207-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh110%2C000%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
%3Cp%3E1.%20Bhiwadi%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ghaziabad%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Hotan%2C%20China%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Delhi%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Jaunpur%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%20Faisalabad%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%20Noida%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%20Bahawalpur%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%20Peshawar%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%20Bagpat%2C%20India%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20IQAir%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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