On Monday, June 2, BAE Systems plc, the flagship of Britain's militarised economy and one of the largest exporters of weapons in the world, hosted the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at its Govan shipyard, Scotland. This is where Starmer chose to announce the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) [1] in his almost illiterate and provocative remarks before its publication and even before Parliament had seen its findings. The SDR has been led by Labour peer and former NATO secretary-general George Robertson.[2]

Starmer arrogantly announced in his speech that his Ministers (not Parliament, be it noted) had decided to implement the 62 recommendations of the SDR to make Britain "a battle-ready, armour-clad nation" at "war-fighting readiness", claiming this was in response to threats from abroad - particularly Russia and a rising China. He also claimed that this would be paid for by "increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament" - something which even the media and opposition in Parliament later disputed.

Starmer justified his announcement in saying that "we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces" and that "the most effective way to deter them is to be ready and frankly to show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength". He emphasised the SDR "whole-of-society approach-widening participation in national resilience, and renewing the Nation's contract with those who serve".

By claiming that Britain "is being directly threatened" and that the government response must be "peace through strength" and a "contract with those who serve", Starmer aims to turn Britain's already military-dominated economy into a fully militarised economy and to put British society on a war footing. In so doing, the arms manufacturers and military industries will receive billions of pounds in orders. Starmer is attempting to get people and society to "serve" BAE systems and the whole warmongering elite and go against their own well-being and interests for real peace and security.

To be clear, Starmer's so-called "threats from abroad" stated in the SDR are the "growing links between Russia, China, Iran, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" as military threats to Britain. As many have said already, who is threatening whom? There are no threats to Britain from any of these countries either from the past, or now. Russia, China, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have never threatened Britain with invasion. On the contrary, it is a matter of record that Britain has invaded all of these countries, Russia, China, Iran and Korea, colonising parts of China, and causing millions of deaths in all of these countries in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today Britain is supporting the NATO proxy regime in Ukraine against Russia, has been arming Israel and bombing Yemen in support of Israeli genocide on Iran's doorstep and is again sending its one working aircraft carrier, HMS "Prince of Wales", to pathetically stalk China in East Asia to try and build its AUKUS military alliance against China with Australia and the US.

Debacle of House of Commons debate

Keir Starmer at BAE Systems nuclear submarine facility in Barrow, 12-04-2024

Following Starmer's announcement, to the willing ears of BAE systems, the Strategic Defence Review was then later officially "debated" in Parliament. Defence secretary John Healey also emphasised the UK's shift towards "war-fighting readiness", again citing and claiming there were growing threats abroad from Russia and a rising China. The SDR recommendations, that the army "restores their readiness to fight, and reverse the 'hollowing out' of foundational capabilities" reflects indeed the whole state of the economy that has been hollowed out by successive governments, wrecking our health and social services by continuing to invest in these war industries and taking a direction for the economy that makes huge profits for the rich. In this dire situation, where society is being increasingly impoverished, the SDR claims they should build 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines as part of the AUKUS partnership with Australia and the US, that they would build at least six new munitions and energetics factories and will focus on drones, AI, and cyber warfare with a New Digital Targeting Web in 2027. The review also includes major defence investments including 7,000 long range weapons, £1.5 billion for at least six new munitions factories, £15 billion for a UK nuclear warhead programme.

At first the Defence Secretary's announcement in Parliament was overshadowed over hiding the SDR document from the Commons for as long as possible before MPs could read it. It was also revealed that Starmer and the Defence Secretary had given the SDR document to major defence companies on the morning of the debate. In fact, it took some points of order before the minister could be persuaded that his statement should be made available to MPs before he spoke. This, of course, gave no time for MPs to consider it, or even read it properly. Even so, almost all of the cartel parties' MPs who spoke backed the 130-page review out of hand claiming that it would support the "defence" and "security" of Britain and "provide jobs" and "investment". Only two MPs spoke out against it in the debate. Ellie Chowns, North Herefordshire (Green), said that "this Government seem to have confused security with spending more on weapons, but warheads do not buy a safer world-they make it more dangerous..." Jeremy Corbyn, Islington North (Independent), said that it was "disappointing that in the review there is no analysis, documentation or process for how we reduce tensions around the world, bring an end to existing conflicts..."

Apart from these two contributions, there was no attempt to discuss the Strategic Defence Review from the point of view of what peace and security for the British people entails. Any reading of the SDR reveals that it is disinformation to say it is about the defence, or security of the country. In fact, Defence Secretary John Healey instead emphasised that Britain's army needed to become "10 times more lethal" as Starmer had said, claiming there was an "immediate and pressing threat" from Russia and the rise of China. He said: "We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence." Starmer had said: "The new era of threats demands a new era for defence and security, not just to survive in this new world, but to lead. We will never gamble with our national security, instead we will act in the national interest."

Here, Starmer and Healey are referring to the SDR's complaint about the world and Britain's role in the failing ambitions of the Anglo-US west that is confronted by the "growing multipolarity" and that the "intensifying strategic competition will make it more difficult for the UK and its allies to shape the world and events in their interests". In other words, this militarising of Britain's economy and society is not about "defence" or "security" of the British people but rather for the ruling elite of Britain and its allies to attempt to shape the world in their interests. The perspective of "renewing the nation's contract with those who serve" is one of the most dangerous attempts in recent years to disinform the working class and people of Britain that their defence and security is in line with the predatory interests of the oligopolies and huge war industries like BAE systems where Starmer made the announcement. The reactionary ruling elites cannot accept that there is a changing world where Britain and its dominions and allies around the world face the reality of dealing with new powers and whole continents; nor can they take on board that, most importantly, the peoples and their resistance movements in Palestine and all around the world do not accept Anglo-US domination and dictate.

Fraudulence and warmongering of the Strategic Defence Review

The mendacious Strategic Defence Review is not about security for the British people and certainly not about peace. The fact is that peace and security are indivisible, and so militarisation that is aimed at imperialist interests abroad only leads to insecurity and war. The more the Starmer government, like the governments before it, promotes war preparation as providing "home security" or the "security of Europe", as Starmer and the SDR say, the more fraudulent these narratives become about the causes of these ongoing wars in the world. Saying that Putin is responsible for launching "unprovoked aggression" against Ukraine is an assertion against the facts of what led to Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which simply don't figure into the equation. It is enough for Starmer to say this is so because, presumably, Putin is a dictator who threatens world peace. This deliberately ignores everything that took place when the US violated all understandings following the collapse of the former Soviet Union and started expanding NATO eastward up to the borders of Russia, making NATO an existential threat to Russia in their eyes.

The premise of the Strategic Defence Review is that Britain must maintain its nefarious role in the world at all costs even if this threatens further wars that Britain cannot win and further impoverishes the British people. The SDR defends the arming of Israel by lauding the 20% of the US F-35 that is manufactured in Britain. It lauds the asset of the Akrotiri and Dhekélia sovereign base area of British overseas territory in Cyprus, from which it sends its cargo of death and its spy planes to Israel and Gaza as well launching its joint bombing attacks on Yemen that the SDR supports.

The Strategic Defence Review continues to blame Hamas for the deaths in Israel and Gaza when Britain has always refused to recognise the national rights of the Palestinians and been a major perpetrator of the occupation of Palestine and the suffering of the Palestinian people since the 1948 Nakba. The SDR claims that Britain's security guarantees are linked to the US, NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), AUKUS and declares that the cause of peace is threatened by China, Russia, Iran and the DPRK, as well the resistance movements of the peoples of the world who are fighting for their right to be and to realise their aspirations for peace, freedom and democracy. The SDR labels them "non-state" actors against Britain's interest saying "the armed Forces remain optimised for conflicts primarily fought against non-state actors on Europe's periphery and beyond".

The call of the day

The Strategic Defence Review will have no takers among the working class and people who desire peace. It is necessary to take heed of the aims of the SDR and to organise against it and what it stands for. The lie about "renewing the nation's contract with those who serve" is a dangerous attempt to get British people to betray their own interests for peace and security and instead to serve the warmongers and must be opposed. Starmer and the government's attempt to further step up its militarisation and support for Israel's daily war crimes against the Palestinians is unacceptable and must continue to be opposed. The attempt of Starmer and the government to involve Britain further in NATO's proxy war in Ukraine against Russia is totally unacceptable and must continue to be opposed.

The call of the day is for the people to speak out in their own name for all that serves their own interests for peace and security. The context is the fight for a new direction for the economy and society that meets the needs of all and defends the rights of all. The context is for political renewal against the police powers of the cartel party system in Westminster and for modern democratic arrangements which empower the people, not those with power and privilege. The aim for the working class and people must be always to prepare the conditions to establish an Anti-War Pro-Social Government in Britain.

Notes
1. PM's remarks on the Strategic Defence Review:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pms-remarks-on-the-strategic-defence-review-2-june-2025
2. Policy paper - The Strategic Defence Review 2025 - Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, June 2 2025
Full document 144 pages:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-strategic-defence-review-2025-making-britain-safer-secure-at-home-strong-abroad
Two Page document:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/683dbe63d23a62e5d32680de/The_Strategic_Defence_Review_2025_-_two-pager.pdf
Document in Welsh: Adolygiad Amddiffyn Strategol 2025: Adolygiad Amddiffyn Strategol 2025:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-strategic-defence-review-2025-making-britain-safer-secure-at-home-strong-abroad/adolygiad-amddiffyn-strategol-2025-gwneud-prydain-yn-fwy-diogel-yn-gadarn-gartref-yn-gydnerth-dramor
The SDR’s vision for UK Defence:
• Move to warfighting readiness—establishing a more lethal ‘integrated force’ equipped for the future, and strengthened homeland defence.
• Engine for growth—driving jobs and prosperity through a new partnership with industry, radical procurement reforms and backing UK businesses.
• ‘NATO first’—stepping up on European security by leading in NATO, with strengthened nuclear, new tech and updated conventional capabilities.
• UK innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine—harnessing drones, data and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer.
• Whole-of-society approach—widening participation in national resilience, and renewing the Nation’s contract with those who serve.

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