Armed Forces Bill

Lord Bailey of Paddington Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 6th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bailey of Paddington (Con)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak after the noble Lord, Lord Hay of Ballyore. Before I come to my remarks, I declare my interests: I am the chair of the cadet health check team; my daughter is currently wading her way through basic training to join the RAF; and I am an honorary colonel of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers cadets.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill, and I do so with great respect for those who serve, those who have served and the families who support them. The Armed Forces are not simply a military institution, they are one of the great social institutions of our country. They teach discipline, duty, teamwork, resilience, courage and service. At their best, they give people a sense of belonging and purpose. That is especially powerful for young people who sometimes find it hard to find these things and may not have access to them elsewhere in their life.

That is why I want to focus on what I believe is missing from the Bill: a stronger recognition of the wider social impact of the Armed Forces, particularly the role of the cadet forces. The Minister will understand my going on about the cadet forces. Across the United Kingdom, cadet units are doing extraordinary work. They give young people structure, they teach self-control, they build confidence, and they connect children and teenagers with adult volunteers who model responsibility, leadership and service. For many young people, particularly those from struggling communities, this can be life-changing. I know this from my own life and many years of working with young people. I used to be a member of the Army cadet force, and it was the only institution in the neighbourhood where I grew up that was stronger than gang culture. I can point to the day that the Army cadets saved me from going to jail, and it is why I stand in front of noble Lords today.

Over many years working with young people, you come to understand that opportunity is not just about money; it is about access as well. It is about having someone say that you are capable of more, but you must turn up, work hard, be a part of this team and, above all, take responsibility. This is what the cadet movement does every week. Yet, too often, cadets are treated as a nice extra rather than a serious national asset. The Bill rightly deals with the Armed Forces covenant, service family housing, veterans and the justice system. But it does not go far enough in recognising the role of the Armed Forces in strengthening society itself.

I ask the Government to look again at the Bill and what it could do for cadets. First, we need a clear duty to support the growth of the cadet units. I know the Government are doing this work, but the Bill is an opportunity to lay it down and make sure it continues, supported by long-term funding as well. This is especially so in poorer areas and communities where young people would really appreciate and benefit from this access, because they do not have much structured youth provision.

Secondly, we need proper reporting to Parliament on cadet numbers, waiting lists, adult volunteers, facilities and funding. If we value cadets, we should measure whether their number is growing or being allowed to decline. Thirdly, we need better support for adult volunteers. Cadet units cannot run on good will alone. Volunteers need training, safeguarding support, equipment, facilities and recognition. They are giving up their evenings and weekends to help build the next generation—the Government should make this easier, not harder.

Fourthly, we should place cadets more clearly within the Armed Forces covenant. The covenant should not only speak for those who have served or are now serving; it should also recognise the pipeline of service, citizenship and leadership that cadets help to create.

If we are serious about defence, we must also be serious about the society from which our Armed Forces are drawn. Recruitment and resilience do not begin at the recruitment office; they begin in the homes, schools, youth clubs and cadet units of this country. In communities where too many young people are exposed to gangs, drugs, crime and, worst of all, low aspirations, and there is an absence of trusted adults, the cadet force offers some profoundly positive things: discipline without hostility, authority without fear and ambition rooted in service. Those are social and national goods, and they deserve to be recognised in the Bill.

The Armed Forces do not only defend our nation abroad; they help build character at home. They remind us that service and duty still matter and that young people, when given structure and belief, can rise. The Bill is an opportunity not only to support those who serve today and have served in the past but to invest in those who may serve tomorrow, whether it be in uniform, in public service, in our communities or simply as stronger and more responsible citizens. I hope that the Government take this responsibility.

Civil Preparedness for War

Lord Bailey of Paddington Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Grand Committee

[Lord Bailey of Paddington (Con)]

My Lords, I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, for securing this timely debate.

The United Kingdom faces serious and growing security threats—Russia, Iran, China and North Korea—alongside non-state actors, criminal networks and terrorist organisations. Last year’s strategic defence review was right to say that we must engage wider society if we are to meet those threats and keep our country safe. That conclusion is becoming more and more urgent every day. An Ipsos poll conducted ahead of the review found that almost half of all Britons say that there are no circumstances under which they would be willing to take up arms for Britain. That is deeply troubling.

Sadly, it is not entirely surprising. For too long, British history has been denigrated, distorted and stripped of context. Too many people have been encouraged to feel ashamed of this country and their association with it, and they believe they should feel no pride in being seen as British. If people feel that way about their nation, it is no surprise that they are unprepared to defend that nation. As retired Army officer Tim Cross put it, we need to tell our young people that they are part of a nation and a society that needs them, including within our Armed Forces.

One practical answer to this is the cadets. As many of your Lordships will know, I am the proud holder of the office of honorary colonel of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers cadets, so I have seen personally the value that the cadet system can provide to the country. It builds confidence, discipline, resilience and public spirit, and a sense of belonging. This is good not only for the individual but for the country. I therefore welcome the review’s conclusion that reconnecting defence and society must be the cornerstone of home defence and resilience strategy.

In particular, I welcome the ambition to expand the cadet force by 30% by 2030, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 250,000 cadets alongside the education department. That matters because the cadet force helps young people understand the Armed Forces, gain skills and qualifications, and see a pathway into future service. Critically, it opens up opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds across the country. That supports both national resilience and economic growth.

But this cannot just be about numbers. As Michael Martins of the British Foreign Policy Group has argued, our defence strategy must engage the rest of society. That means building a compelling national narrative that wins public support, builds cross-party consensus and reminds people that national security is not the business of the Government alone but the business of this whole nation. That is the challenge we face.

Strategic Defence Review 2025

Lord Bailey of Paddington Excerpts

Friday 18th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bailey of Paddington (Con)]

My Lords, I welcome the timely publication of the strategic defence review, and I agree with its analysis that the UK faces generational defence and security challenges, whether from Russia, Iran, China, North Korea or non-state bad actors, criminal gangs and terrorist organisations.

The strategic defence review rightly recognises that we need to engage our wider society to deal with the threats and keep our country safe. However, it is alarming that recent polling by Ipsos conducted ahead of the review revealed that almost half of Britons say there are no circumstances in which they would be willing to take up arms to defend the country. There is one silver lining, though, in that seven in 10 Britons— including many young people—still believe that the Armed Forces can provide a good career path for the next generation. How are we going to change the way the country, its history and its Armed Forces are spoken about to make people feel that this country is a place worth defending?

As some noble Lords may know, I am a proud honorary colonel cadet of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, so supporting and promoting the cadet movement means a great deal to me. I recognise the positive impact that the cadets and the courses they study and undertake have on our society. I therefore take this opportunity to congratulate the Army cadets and Royal Air Force cadets who graduated recently from the Cadets in Enterprise programme at the London Stock Exchange.

It is particularly welcome that the strategic defence review has concluded that reconnecting defence with wider society should be the cornerstone of our home defence and resilience strategy. It could

“be achieved in part through expanding Cadet Forces by 30% by 2030 (with an ambition to reach 250,000 in the longer term) and working with the Department for Education to develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools”.

Expanding the cadet force will

“provide skills and qualifications to young people, inform and inspire future Defence personnel—from diverse backgrounds across the country—and support economic growth”.

Ministers should heed the comments of Mr Michael Martins from the British Foreign Policy Group, who stressed the need for our defence strategy to engage the rest of society, arguing:

“Without a compelling narrative—one that builds cross-party and public consensus, while also bringing business along—the SDR risks being viewed as a technocratic exercise, not a national priority”.


I hope that the Government’s whole-of-society approach in response to the review bears fruit and they deliver on the number of cadets needed. I will be willing to work with them in any way to help them achieve this number, and to hold them to account should they fall short.

While the publication of the review is a step in the right direction, I share Mr Martins’s concerns and believe that the Government will need to do more than merely meet the review’s recommendations. Rather, they will need to exceed them and should promote civic engagement and pride in our Armed Forces and indeed our country. Many young people do not feel they can be involved in supporting this country and its defence because of the way in which this country is spoken about by many people, particularly our history. If you talk to people from my community in general, they will tell you many things about institutional racism et cetera that have been forced down their throats and make them feel separate from this nation that has clothed and housed them and keeps them safe every day. I would like the Minister to explain how we turn around that part of our public discourse to make people feel like they should and can be involved in the safety of this nation.

Should this civic engagement and pride in our Armed Forces become something that the public can hold to their chest and appreciate, it will help us keep our nation and communities safer and provide an opportunity for young people to be exposed to the people who man our Armed Forces. They are some of the most dedicated, intelligent and committed people in the world; it would be an awful shame not to let our young people be exposed to that level of patriotic fervour and the pure, technical care that they have for this country. It would be very useful to expose all communities to that.