Strategic Defence Review 2025

Baroness Helic Excerpts

Friday 18th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Helic (Con)]

My Lords, I welcome this timely debate and commend the noble Lord, Lord Robertson, General Barrons and Dr Hill for this ambitious review. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord McCabe, on his maiden speech.

The review reflects a world that is more dangerous and less predictable, as others have already noted. While identifying challenges from China, Iran and North Korea, it rightly places Russia’s growing threat as the central concern for the UK and its NATO allies. I add that Russia is also a concern for others in Europe who are not protected by the NATO umbrella and find themselves at the mercy of both Russia and NATO’s appetite to help shore it up and defend it.

With the United States pivoting towards the Indo-Pacific, the review notes that the United Kingdom and our European allies must shoulder greater responsibility for European security, which I consider to be a long-overdue shift. We should not be unsettled by Washington’s asks. Our credibility as an ally hinges not on dependence but on dependability. The United States’s contribution should complement, not substitute for, European capability. Too often, some allies have been passive recipients rather than active contributors to our collective defence.

Technology, rightly, is at the heart of this review. In Ukraine, drones and automation have transformed warfare, and speed of adaptation gives a decisive edge. Our forces must keep pace with this transformation, and I welcome the review’s focus on innovation, autonomy and digital integration.

This leads us to funding. The Government’s commitment to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 is welcome, with an ambition for 3% in the next Parliament. However, if we are serious about rebuilding our industrial base, supporting Ukraine and preparing for prolonged operations, we should treat 3% as a baseline, not a ceiling.

Strikingly, the review fails to explicitly mention the United Kingdom’s commitment to international law. There is no reference to the UN charter, the laws of war or humanitarian norms. While the review acknowledges the erosion of international agreements and threats to the rules-based order, it omits any explicit commitment to defending or upholding international law. This is a notable and concerning omission. Previous reviews, the national security strategies of 2010 and 2015, and the integrated review refresh of 2023 all reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to international law. The current strategic defence review does not.

This matters profoundly. We are facing adversaries which reject the international rules that constrain aggression and promote peace. A rules-based system is in our national interest, whether in preventing the use of chemical weapons, protecting civilians, outlawing sexual violence in conflict or preventing nuclear proliferation. That system of treaties, conventions and laws is under unprecedented strain, particularly given the conduct of wars in Syria, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, the DRC and now Gaza. A world in which these legal constraints are ignored would be vastly more dangerous for the United Kingdom. We must take every opportunity to affirm our commitment to the rule of law and to oppose double standards, whether among adversaries or allies.

Delivering the aims of this review will not be achieved by statements alone. Its success, whether in rebuilding industrial capacity or deeper NATO integration, depends on political will, resources and public support. I welcome the review’s emphasis on national resilience and a whole-of-society approach, but public backing cannot be taken for granted. Defence has become too disconnected from everyday life. People often do not understand what we are defending, why it matters or how we intend to do it. Rebuilding that understanding is essential and it will rely on public trust in the UK’s defence policy and commitment to international norms.

This review marks a step in the right direction. It identifies many of the correct priorities and outlines a clear path forward. However, to meet its ambition, we must focus on funding what we promise, re-establishing the link between power and legitimacy, and making the case for defence not only in this House but throughout the country.