Russia is already at war with the West, so why is Britain still moving at a glacial pace?

Russia has considered itself to be at war with the West for some time; this is just the latest provocation.

Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the unrelenting hybrid attacks on us and our Allies, repeated incursions into European airspace and now the threat to the UK’s waters mean we cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand.

The time has come - indeed, some would argue it has long since passed - that we acknowledge the realities of this threat and what it means for our country.

Yesterday, the Defence Select Committee published a report calling on the UK Government to lead the European response to Russian aggression and do everything in its power to hold the NATO Alliance together.

We are not in this fight alone, but we cannot afford to hide behind the strength of others. The UK must not allow itself to be sidelined in what is to come, it is our duty to ourselves and our Allies that we are able to tackle threats head-on.

As a nation, we must go further and move faster to bolster our defence capabilities and resilience.

We have become complacent. Despite clear and consistent signals from successive US presidents that the UK and other European Allies need to step up, we have continued to underinvest in our defence capabilities.

We are calling on the Government to assess where the UK can replace US capabilities if required and the UK is able to defend our homeland and overseas territories.

Wars aren’t won just by Generals. Readiness is not just about the number of boots on the ground we are able to deploy. We each have a part to play, yet the Government continues to shy away from meaningful engagement with the public.

We need to have a national conversation that confronts the realities of what to expect in the event of a conflict and Government must be the driver of this.

Throughout our inquiry, we heard repeated concerns about the UK’s ability to defend itself from attack.

Government cannot afford to continue moving at a glacial pace. Improving the capacity of the industrial base is essential and readiness must be at the top of the agenda.

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Tan Dhesi is the Chairman of the Defence Committee and the MP for Slough

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