UK’s national security is ‘in peril’ and ‘we are not safe’, warns ex-Nato chief

Former Nato secretary general Lord George Robertson has accused Sir Keir Starmer of holding back defense investment, putting Britain ‘in peril.’

Robertson, a former labor defense secretary and Nato chief in the early 2000s, criticised the government for being ‘underprepared’ for attack, claiming that the country is ‘not safe.’

He said the government and its approach to defense strategy has shown ‘corrosive complacency ‘ towards national security.

This is the first time Lord George, a key government adviser and the author of the Strategic defense Review, which set out a bumping up of military spending to 3% of GDP before 2030, has criticised the labor

Speaking to the Financial Times, Lord George said there was a gap between the PM’s words and action on defense.

He accused the Prime Minister of not being willing ‘to make the necessary investment.’

Lord George is expected to warn in a speech today that the Iran war ‘has to be a rude wake-up call.’

‘We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe … Britain’s national security and safety is in peril,’ he will say during the lecture in Salisbury.

His comments come after investment in carrying out the steps in the Strategic defense Review has been postponed, along with warnings that the military faces a £28 billion funding black hole in the next four years.

Sources claim the MoD, Treasury and Downing Street have not been able to decide how to proceed with the defense funding.

Lord George will say today: ‘There is a corrosive complacency today in Britain’s political leadership. Lip service is paid to the risks, the threats, the bright red signals of danger – but even a promised national conversation about defense can’t be started.’

A government spokesperson said: ‘We are delivering on the strategic defense review to meet the threats we face.

‘It is backed by the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the cold war, with a total of over £270bn being invested across this parliament.’

The warning comes after another high-ranking official raised the alarm over the UK’s preparedness.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said an updated version of the UK’s war book used in the Cold War and First World War era would mean people need to have a rethink about resilience.

The war book details essential information about what to do in a conflict, similar to Sweden’s updated war pamphlet published after increased Russian threats.

Meanwhile, Nato has been rattled after Donald Trump hinted that he might pull the US out of the military alliance.

The US president accused Nato of not being ‘there for us’ after starting the war in Iran.

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