UK must rearm amid warnings of all-out war

Russia, China and Iran are threatening to create a three-front global conflict against democratic countries

In a distant Siberian penal colony, one of the inmates has gone missing. Vladimir Kara-murza, serving 25 years for treason, hasn’t escaped; instead, he has been sent somewhere else, but the authorities aren’t saying where. His only crime was to criticise the Putin regime – and survive two poison attacks almost certainly ordered by the Russian dictator.

His fate is an example of Putin’s tyranny. His fate could happen to anyone in Russia, the Ukrainian territory under Russian control, or the territory this bloodthirsty regime plans to conquer.

Iran and China are similarly despotic and clearly see a friend in the Kremlin. Iran supplies military drones that are being used against Ukraine and funds the Hamas and Houthi fighters in the Middle East who have opened up a second front in what may well be turning into a global conflict. It does not take a military genius to work out that victory in Ukraine could see Putin launch an attack on Nato members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as China attacks

Taiwan, particularly if the US elects Donald Trump.

Senior military figures are warning countries to prepare for all-out war. The world has shifted since the 2014 and 2016 referendums, but our politicians appear to be stubbornly refusing to notice. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to deliver tax cuts, even though the size of the UK’S Armed Forces has hit a record low of just under 185,000 regulars and volunteer reservists. Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of Nato’s Military Committee, recently warned civilians to prepare for war with Russia within the next 20 years. “We have to realise it’s not a given that we are in peace. And that’s why we [Nato] are preparing for a conflict with Russia.”

Such warnings are growing and cannot be dismissed. Putin must be defeated in Ukraine, but de-escalating other conflicts is a clear priority. In the meantime, the UK should ditch talk of tax cuts and spend the money on rebuilding our dilapidated Armed Forces. Without them, we may one day discover that Kara-murza’s uncertain fate is our own.