Indefensible ambition

ONE lesson from history is that the best way to keep peace is to prepare for war. Our adversaries understand deterrence through strength. It is through deterrence that we seek not to fight in the first place.

Any sign of weakness is an invitation for despots to threaten us and stoke conflict.

Given that the first duty of government is defence of the realm, we are entitled to ask if our leaders have fulfilled this obligation.

The answer is an emphatic no. Although funding for the Armed Forces is rising in cash terms, it is hard to argue that it is sufficient to protect our interests in a world growing more volatile by the day.

Only last month Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned that the world is in a ‘prewar’ state. Our enemies are rearming.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rages on. Vladimir Putin’s regime has threatened nuclear strikes on the West. The Middle East is in flames. And an aggressive China is sabre-rattling over Taiwan.

Yet our military is smaller and less ready to fight than at any time in history. Crippled by a recruitment crisis, a shortage of ships and planes, and wasteful procurement, it seems we’d struggle to defend the Isle of Wight.

So what is the Defence Secretary doing about this? Incredibly, instead of having a laser-like focus on his brief, Mr Shapps is apparently plotting a Tory leadership bid.

The Mail on Sunday reports he spends barely six days a month at the MoD, and takes Tuesday afternoons off to hatch plans. His allies vehemently deny this. But even if it’s only partly true, it would be a disgraceful dereliction of duty to the nation.

With World War III inching ever closer, Mr Shapps should be ensuring Britain has a military our enemies fear – not fighting to further his own political ambitions.