Air defences on the Falkland Islands would be strengthened in parallel with any new system built for the United Kingdom, under a commitment made by the Shadow Defence Secretary in his conference speech, according to the Conservative Party.
James Cartlidge said the party’s Britannia Shield programme, a £10 billion integrated air and missile defence system announced on Tuesday, would cover the overseas territories as well as the home islands.
He said: “With our base on Cyprus attacked, and Argentina sabre rattling over the Falklands, I make this promise: when we procure these air defence systems for our nation, we will always, in parallel, reinforce our sovereign bases and overseas territories.
“Just as Britannia Shield means new and improved radars for the UK, we would also boost this capability on the Falkland Islands. Just as our plan would mean stronger stockpiles and air defence systems at home, we would strengthen our air defences on the Falklands.
“So let me be clear, we will take whatever steps are necessary to stop anyone from even thinking about an invasion. Because the Falklands are British and will always be British.”
The commitment is one of the more concrete things any party has said about the islands in some time. British air defence in the South Atlantic currently rests on the Sky Sabre system at Mount Pleasant, which replaced Rapier in 2021, together with the Typhoon detachment of 1435 Flight and the ground-based radars that go with them. Improving the radar picture and deepening the missile stockpile are the two things a serious reinforcement would involve.
Tom Tugendhat, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, made the same connection earlier in the afternoon, linking the government’s handling of the Chagos Islands to Argentine rhetoric. He said: “Weakness is provocative. It’s corrosive. Within days of capitulating on Chagos, Argentina’s president vowed to win back the Falkland Islands.”
The Chagos agreement has been a standing Conservative attack line since it was concluded, and Mr Tugendhat went considerably further on the legal question, describing the international court’s involvement as “courtroom colonialism, an expanding mandate over people who never consented to the jurisdiction of the body that is claiming it”, and arguing that it is “ridiculous to allow Chinese and Russian officials to determine our sovereignty”.
The little boy who cried wolf.
They no longer have any credibility regards Defence. They’ve just seized on a clear weakness and are exploiting it for political ends.
10 billion is better than the chicken feed that Labour have in the DIP for GBAD, so poor that there’s no money to even fully replace Stormer HVM Starstreak on time, and a handful of extra Sky Sabre, no meaningful expansion whatsoever.
But it’s the same old story, “Vote for us and get X and we’ll do this and this.”
Just as Sunak said.
Just as Labour did.
Just as the Tories themselves did in 2010 after years of Labour’s dismantling of the military, only to accelerate the process.
All words.
The usual, no change.
And this “version of Iron Dome” I don’t think 10 billion would provide what Israel have, but it would provide an awful lot more than what exists at the moment.
Put it all in law in Parliament, with all parties agreeing on a % and more importantly a minimum force structure, and I’ll believe.
Till then, charlatans the lot of you.
Meanwhile reports suggest Burnham wants to delay defence spending!
They’ve delayed the Dip years, are doing everything possible to kick 3% then 3.5% down the road to another’s problem, so it’s not really a surprise.
He’s only interested in benefits, as are Labour, to secure their voting base and try to stem the Green party.
Mcfadden said as much already.
Uni party, dead to me and increasingly millions of others.
The Falklands already had a top class air defence system. If the UK had the same air defence capability as the Falklands with ground based radar stations plugged into CAMM batteries then we would be in a very strong position against any low flying threats from cruise missiles and large drones.
My thoughts exactly. A full IAMD system covering the entire UK for £10bn? They really must think we’re mugs; the requirements capture alone would likely cost half that.