Nia Griffith, the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, spoke today at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Whitehall.
In a 26 minute speech, she outlined the changes Labour would make to how defence is operated, as well as a more general look at the UK’s place in the world.
Threats
She began by outlining threats; further to General Mark Carleton-Smith’s speech at RUSI last week, she spoke of increased instability, and the wide range of threats that face the UK:
“We see rising tension and growing instability around the globe, and a range of threats to the security of our citizens here at home”
Indeed she categorised ‘Brexit’ as a national defence issue, arguing that it is “one of the biggest challenges to our global strategic role since the Second World War”.
She also made plain that in the increasingly unstable and hostile environment, a Labour government would have “no higher duty than the protection of our citizens and the maintenance of national security”.
United Nations
Perhaps surprisingly, Griffith spoke at greater length about the United Nations than she did about NATO. She pledged to treble the UK’s financial commitment to UN peacekeeping missions, bringing the total figure to £100m per year. Also made clear was that more UK attention would be devoted to the areas “the UN itself identifies as being key to effective peacekeeping”.
Griffith also argued passionately that the UK was well placed to lead on UN peacekeeping, given our “significant high-readiness capabilities”. She stated that our high-readiness is clearly shown in the Joint Rapid Reaction Force and the new Joint Expeditionary Force.
The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) is a pool of money (£1bn/yr) for tackling conflict and instability overseas. She committed to replacing the CSSF with “a more transparent, human rights-focussed fund”. It was unclear which government body would run this new fund, or how large the investment would be.
NATO and defence spending
She covered NATO, arguing that it “remains the cornerstone of our defence and our security, and the sole organisation for collective defence in Europe”. Despite this, she did not comment directly on defence spending. She highlighted the Defence Selected Committee’s call for for defence spending to rise to 3% of GDP, as well as Tobias Elwood’s call for 2.5%. Despite these references, she gave no indication as to the size of a Labour defence budget.
She did however condemn “short-sighted and painful cuts” to defence, arguing that capability should “not simply driven by the Treasury”.
Defence contracts
Other headline pledges included an end to “the practice of outsourcing MoD services to the private sector”. She argued that “often these private contracts simply fail on their own terms“. She concluded by highlighting the socioeconomic value of UK based defence contracts, stating that “the case for buying British is clear“.
The full speech can be found here. She concluded by taking questions from the audience, although these were conducted off the record.
I am sorry, but I can’t take anything Labour says on Defence seriously with the idiot at the helm.
another corbyn appeasnik labour are as much to blame for the current state of the u.k forces as anyone
shut up comrade jeremy is a c**k but if we’re lucky he’ll go away and take that useless cretin abbot with him
Don’t trust you. Sorry.
I’d sooner trust Putin.
Nia is a decent person who is committed to the defence of the UK.
But if Corbyn was PM she and our defence capability would be ditched.
(Chris J) Absolutely agree. She’s one of the few members of the shadow cabinet I’d have any confidence in.
There is no doubt in my mind that the current Labour leadership are a threat to national security in and of themselves.
If the U N lets us do this and Europe let’s us do that….. NO… sorry but she would be over ruled by the Corbyn Comrades within hours if God forbid they won an election. I doubt she would even keep her job
the U.N? NOW WE’RE INTO THE GOOD STUFF THE BIGGEST MOST INEFFECTIVE ORGANISATION ON THE PLANET. A BIGGER GRAVY TRAIN THAN THE E.U
She is a pathological lying Labour politician just like anti forces Corbyn
agreed
Corbyn and Abbott would cut spending back.to nothing
ABBOTT? LOL a joke.
Plenty of decent patriotic Labour politicians and voters.
Trouble is they don’t run the Labour.
As St Jeremy says if he was to become PM then there would be a defence review where everything was on the table to discussion.
That would mean huge cuts across the defence establishment. God help us.
we’d all have to call each other ‘comrade’
maybe a merger of the faa with the r.a.f and the s.a.s withe s.b.s, at least that would stop the bickering over who gets to play with the F35’s, maybe even get rid of the R.A.F. would anyone notice?
Andy Reeves. What a silly comment. Take away the RAF and the RN will just argue with the Army, like it did before the RAF was created, about some supposed need to have anything more than rotary aircraft. In a world where the RN is not capable of defending surface vessels against hypersonic missiles and other anti ship missiles, perhaps it’s the RN that should be , got rid of. It would require less manpower, less stores, less fuel, and quicker by weeks to send RAF strike aircraft to a target than a slow moving, bloated and vulnerable carrier group.… Read more »
Agree with all the comments, under JC defence will hammered and it will never recover. We’ll also loose what little lead we have left in the defence industry. Finally our US partnership will be severely damaged. Its irrelevant what shadow minsters say now once JC’s in power all bets are off.
u.s partnership?is that the one where the U.K is the poodle for the u.s, pushed aside and looked at as that ‘little island near europe that can’t afford anything?
Very vague and no actual ideas or commitments to anything, rather gives the impression this isn’t a priority for her party.
Seems to be a lot of experts who, with the exception of maybe Mike Saul (and that’s being overly generous) offer absolutely nothing to the debate, just cheap soundbites that sound and look a little pathetic. At least when I have a bit of a ding dong with Chris H about politics he has substance, he throws out statistics, polls, quotes and actual policy, these comments above are shoddy, thats the problem with political debate in this country, people read a headline in a tabloid and think they have a valid political opinion. Anyway I’ll be the grown up As… Read more »
Here here. Too many on this site have fallen hook line and sinker for the crap in our press. Look who owns the papers, Tory supporting billionaires scared shitless about having to pay their fair share under a labour government. I do however wish we could get some firm commitments and policy from labour. I think you have hit the nail on the head ie no more involvement in dubious wars and more focus on quality of life for our servicemen. With a labour government I guarantee our industries would be better supported as well with more made in this… Read more »
Yeah it’s weird, apparently Jeremy Corbyn is going to be the only leader in history to bypass parliament and magically wipe out our armed forces. Its strange what the media can do to people’s rational thinking. But yeah I’m the same regards labour policy and commitments, the 2% is always mentioned and I think that’s safe because he’s already on record saying it, and it was in the manifesto, this by Nia Griffith is good but lacking on anything really substantial about equipment and numbers though, she does say halfway through that something on defence equipment by labour will be… Read more »
SS/TS, Labour will not issue a report on defence or anything else because their basic policy for all matters of government is throw money at it, throw money at it, throw… get the picture. What they will not do is cost anything, they just spend your money. I voted Labour in 1970 and watched Britain collapse under a mountain of debt but gave them the benefit of the doubt. Re elected in 1974 they did it again but this time managed to get inflation up to 29 per cent for good measure. Tony Blair seemed quite sensible in comparison but… Read more »
Sorry, my first election date is wrong…it was in the sixties
That’s odd, when I last looked the Labour manifesto was the only one that was fully costed.
“Labour will not issue a report on defence or anything else because their basic policy for all matters of government is throw money at it, throw money at it, throw… get the picture. What they will not do is cost anything, they just spend your money”
“but then along came Gordon who did his damndest to bankrupt us”
They’re comments from someone who clearly doesn’t know what he is talking about.
T.S – reading your last paragraph do you not remember what happened in 2003 ?
£13.1 billion foreign aid? google where it goes , then you’ll be ranting i promise you.
“just cheap soundbites that sound and look a little pathetic.” Sorry Sole. But I’m rather insulted by that. I enjoy reading your posts and actually agree with much of what you say, especially your history comments. I’m not writing an essay for you justifying myself, just because almost everyone here can see JC and the people around them for what they are based on what himself and the people around him have said and done over the last few decades. I don’t need to spell anything out for you. This site is about opinions. I think you have rather rose… Read more »
Daniele You said you don’t trust a member of Parliament who’s been elected by the British public since 2005, a school teacher who’s taught British kids most of her life as well as being a school inspector for ofsted, speaks half a dozen languages, a decent, honest MP who’s actually quite good at her job whichever office she holds. You flatly said you don’t trust her, and that you would rather trust Vladimir Putin, the head of a foreign state who, to say we don’t exactly have a cordial relationship with at the moment would be understatement of the century.… Read more »
SS /TS The only problem with you saying I don’t now what I’m talking about is that everything I said is factually correct, in fact in the sixties and seventies it was even worse’ Don’t believe me though. Look up the facts and figures for the years I mention and then try to prove I’m wrong. In passing I spent 14 years in education so that presumably puts me into the same caring group as Nia Griffith who I actually like and respect for her work to improve opportunity and advancement performance levels whilst with Ofstead. I don’t think Daniele… Read more »
“The only problem with you saying I don’t now what I’m talking about is that everything I said is factually correct” You said Gordon Brown did his best to bankrupt us, how is that in anyway factual correct? You said labour won’t cost anything, they costed their manifesto so how do you know for a fact that anything with defence won’t be costed? I don’t usually have to explain the difference between facts, assumption and opinion but deary me. The first one about Gordon Brown, you obviously have the Internet Geoffrey, so instead of making yourself look like you don’t… Read more »
Thank you for your final non reply SS . Your obviously a dedicated Labour supporter. Most of them are in denial as well.
What do you mean a non reply, oh was a I supposed to “look up the years you mentioned and prove you are wrong” was that a serious request? Why on earth would I cherry pick some years in the 60’s and 70’s and then base that performance on how I would vote 50 years later. No Geoffrey that’s what an idiot would do. I am not in denial about anything, yes Labour have been in power during hard times and made big mistakes, it’s official and on record it’s hardly something I can deny is it? Your replies have… Read more »
this NOT A POLITICAL SITE, REMEMBER THAT YOU CHILDISH PAIR, TAKE YOUR ARGUMENTS BACK TO THE PLAYGROUND.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, yes 2% of GDP. But offensive capabilities cut to the absolute minimum. Most probably a carrier mothballed or sold. F35 order curtailed, possible refusals to service partner nations F35’s at UK facilities because they’re involve in a intervention that JC doesn’t believe in (so that’s all interventions). Halt of military sales to Saudi and others = typhoon line closes and UK cease to have the ability to manufacture fast jets (ironically Italy or Germany will pick up the orders). No more investment in strike weapons for the remaining fast jet fleet. Probably some… Read more »
Trident isn’t going anywhere, renewing trident was in the labour manifesto, it was a free vote for backing trident, stop peddling fake news.
Just painting a snapshot of what might happen. I for one don’t believe that Trident is save under JC and JMcD. JC joined CND whilst at school then became one of its three vice-chairs. IF labour borrowing and other plans cause the economy to tank its a candidate to can…. the manifesto would become irrelevant…. Labour would claim needs must.
have any of you seen the squalid states of married quarters?service families being treated as second class citizens in their own country? last year the top 5 cil servants at the M.O.D took home £800,000.
Corbyn will cut our defence capability to level where we will be unable defend our interests
https://youtu.be/iabxArzFN_8
Wait….. isn’t she jumping the gun?
Labour opened their defence policy review 2 yeas ago…. and it hasn’t reported yet.
A Labour Government would trouble me greatly in general, as spending once again raced out of control like a teenager with a credit card!
But, the Conservative record on defence has been absolutly horrendous guys! They have cut force levels beyond the pale and placed us in a really dangerous and truly vulnerable position.
Would Labour be any worse … Probably, the base fact is there is no fat left to cut, so the only option re cuts would be to remove whole capabilities.
I feel they would probably eliminate capabilities to divert cash to social projects…
Just my opinion….
i was once a leader for the prison officers union, one day i had the chance to speak to the deputy P.M I ASKED WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH ALL THE CUTS? HE SAID ‘CUTS MEAN THERE’S NO ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY I SAID ‘ WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU’VE CUT ALL THE BRANCHES OFF THE DEFENCE TREE? HE SAID THE TREE wILL FALL OVER… PRECISELY! DEAR mr. brown if you are reading this, i hope your milk has gone sour
Labour has always ordered more ships than the conservatives. Keeps the unions happy.This is how it works I’m afraid, and the conservatives are no better. Fuck planning and strategy
Agreed, Labour gutted the Armed forced to pay for the never ending pointless wars in Iraqi and Afghanistan.
Then the Tory led Coalition further put the boot in!
What do we learn from this, all political parties are self serving, self interested entities, no votes in defence, so no real money for it, the poor state of our armed forces proves this point unfortunately.
ORDERED MORE, CANCELLED MORE this is a stupid debate lets go back to proper debates. not politics.
[…] decision would also come after Nia Griffith, the shadow defence secretary, condemned “short-sighted and painful cuts” to defence, at a speech in […]
human rights focused? piss off love. the lads want to kick down doors and take names. give them that or they will keep on signing off.
Worrying that I’m a defence speech she only mentions peacekeeping and human rights, neither of which are much to do with defence of the country.
She doesn’t, why don’t you watch or read the whole speech.
Very concerned about the proposed increase in peacekeeping duties, not something we should get involved in, best left to small countries like Ireland with poor equipment who can use it to give their army experience of overseas operations.
Our armed forces should concentrate on warfighting not peace keeping.
Plus when being realistic and honest, people don’t join up to keep the peace in some far flung land, constrained by sometimes idiotic RoE. They join up to fire their weapon and get stuck in, mostly.
I can see this being partly true due to governments “committing” to future projects and numbers ala the T26 debacle and kicking the can down the road for future administrations to work out monetarily. What we need is a longer term view to production and procurement, driving down costs and increasing efficiencies not just within the MoD itself but suppliers and contractors. Too often do we settle because there’s only one option or bidder. I do think this latter point is in the infancy of being addressed but a lot more needs to be done.
As for the “world military power” as long as we have a blue water navy we will always be such by definition.
? Is this how desperate you’ve become TH? You’ve been rambling about cutting defence expenditure on here forever and now you know that the tide is shifting, all the talk is on an increase in defence spending, you’ve resorted to copy and pasting a single paragraph out of an article and certainly out of context. For everyone else the first three paragraphs of said article is this. “The UK is “living a lie” about its defence programme, which is unaffordable within current budgets, the former chief of defence staff has said, after a committee of MPs said Britain must raise… Read more »
Fingers crossed 🙂
Okay SS we’re done but one suggestion. This is a discussion site. You don’t need to be rude and aggresive to try to make a point.
good
Corbyn has said he will negotiate with the Argentinians! So what is there to Negotiate? Sovereignty I suppose.