Particle Data Platform
In The Room

‘Not ready for war’: Can Starmer protect the UK?

4/17/202640 min

In the midst of the US-Iran war, Lord Robertson, former Labour defence secretary and NATO chief, didn’t hold back this week. With local elections looming, the Labour grandee stepped into the defence debate, warning the UK is “not safe” and “underprepared” for war.

But how much of that falls on Starmer’s government - and how much is the result of years of neglect of Britain’s core military strength: ships, drones, and troops?

Since the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, the UK has stopped 39 late-stage terror plots. So why does our security look strong, while our defence appears exposed? And what, exactly, is the difference?

Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here.

This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios

Executive Producers: Olivia Foster and Carrie Rose

Producer: Sam Durham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clips

Prime Minister's first sobering task
Are we actually protected?
Whitehall’s slow-motion problem
You can smell the panic
It’s not guns versus butter

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Helen MacNamara· Host0:00

    British Army was only capable of seizing a small market town on a good day.

  2. Cleo Watson· Host0:05

    There's some now quite frightening stuff that you have to tune yourself into very, very quickly. It's like plunging into cold water.

  3. Helen MacNamara· Host0:12

    I mean, it's an extraordinary thing to ask any human to do, and every prime minister has to do that.

  4. Cleo Watson· Host0:17

    Keir Starmer's government faced a scathing attack this week. And not just from his political opponents. It also came from an ex-Labor Defense Secretary.

  5. Helen MacNamara· Host0:26

    Lord Robertson, the former NATO Secretary General, accused the government of corrosive complacency and the Treasury of vandalism over its reluctance to spend more on defense.

  6. Cleo Watson· Host0:34

    Worse still, he says that Britain is not safe. Today we're asking, can the Prime Minister and his government fulfill their number one obligation, the defense of the realm?

  7. Helen MacNamara· Host0:44

    I'm Helen MacNamara, the former Deputy Cabinet Secretary.

  8. Cleo Watson· Host0:47

    And I'm Cleo Watson, a former special advisor in 10 Downing Street.

  9. Helen MacNamara· Host0:51

    And this is In the Room.

  10. Cleo Watson· Host0:52

    If you're enjoying the show, do like us, rate us. We love all that kind of stuff, and it really does help, as we tell you every week. And if you want to see what we're up to on YouTube, you can see us there and on Instagram at intheroom.pod, which has got our kind of top clips carefully curated by producer Sam. Another week, Helen, and actually another quite important and, mm, frightening topic actually. We are talking about the UK's defense position, and I'd like to start with the comments from Lord Robertson, George Robertson, who is a former Labor Defense Secretary

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.