
Ian Payne 4am - 7am
2 June 2025, 19:24 | Updated: 2 June 2025, 19:37
Lord Robertson has claimed the UK is "probably not" ready to fight a war today, and warned "we're facing an enemy that is working against us all the time".
Speaking to LBC's Andrew Marr, the former Secretary General of NATO and Labour Party politician who co-wrote the Strategic Defence Review admitted that our forces have been "hollowed out", but said we're not facing an enemy today "in conventional terms".
"Cyber attacks, assassinations, election interference, disinformation campaigns" are all activities that are already happening, he said.
He continued: "Our enemies are at our door. They're already there. And when you've got a question about welfare or warfare, you know, what happens if a cyber attack stops our hospitals from working? What if it turns our power off? What happens if it stops the cars, the police cars in the street?
"These things are real and alive. And some cases are actually happening today."
Read more: Britain’s Strategic Defence Review is the most important in a generation
Assassinations
— LBC (@LBC) June 2, 2025
Cyberattacks
Disinformation campaigns
The architect of Keir Starmer's defence review reveals why he thinks ‘the enemy is at our door’ in an exclusive interview with @AndrewMarr9. pic.twitter.com/wSLzYrt319
Lord Robertson stressed the urgency of implementing the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review.
He said: "There is an urgency about the way in which the Russians especially, and others as well, are ganging up on us and using different means.
"Now, it might well be that what we are seeing in Ukraine today could be the nature of war in the future. You know, Ukraine might actually be yesterday's war.
"Tomorrow's war could be much nastier, much crueller, much more brutal."
He recognised that it will take some time for our adversaries to build up capabilities, but in the meantime we too have to build up our capabilities.
He added: "You have the homeland defence that we've got to build up in order to deal with the grey zone attacks that we're already experiencing."
Andrew asked Lord Robertson whether he wakes up scared or confident when thinking about the country's defence and security.
He said: "If we do these things, then we'll be a safe nation. If we don't do it, I think we're vulnerable.
"So it is a hinge moment. You've got to make a decision. The country's got to make a decision, and this is the time to make it."
Artificial intelligence, drones and a £1 billion investment in homeland missile defence are all part of the plans to keep the UK safe in the face of threats from Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the rise of China.
There should be room for a “small uplift” in the number of full-time Army soldiers, and personnel in back-office roles released to “front line roles” under the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review.
Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to “create a British Army that is 10 times more lethal” through software and long-range weapons, and committed to delivering “the best kit and technology into the hands of our frontline forces”.
The military have been told that “an immediate priority” should be a “shift towards greater use of autonomy and artificial intelligence”, while the Army should be prepared to operate with “a 20-40-40” mix between crewed systems, “reusable” tech such as drones, and “consumables” such as rockets, shells and missiles.
Mr Healey has also pledged to “protect the UK homeland” with “up to £1 billion new funding invested in homeland air and missile defence”.