Defence secretary Wes Streeting has said he began stockpiling food and water at home in case of a national emergency, as the government steps up spending in response to threats facing the United Kingdom.
Streeting told the Times he keeps bottled water, a first aid kit, a battery-powered torch and tinned food including baked beans, sweetcorn, red kidney beans and tuna, along with protein bars and nuts. He said he was glad such preparation was becoming more widely understood. “These are all just commonsense things for the everyday challenges,” he said.
Spending plans firm up
The remarks follow comments from chancellor John Healey, who said he wants defence spending to reach 3 percent of GDP by 2030, rising to 3.5 percent by 2035. Healey has asked Whitehall departments to find budget cuts of 1 percent to help fund long-term defence investment.
Healey resigned as defence secretary in June, a departure the article treats as one of the final blows to Keir Starmer’s premiership. He delivered his first budget on Wednesday, saying the defence investment plan was now fully funded, though he faced criticism for pushing details of how the UK reaches the 3 percent target into next year’s spending review.
Nato welcomes trajectory
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte offered a measured endorsement of the UK’s direction. “The UK is on a credible path towards meeting the commitment made by all Nato allies in The Hague,” he said.
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Streeting also addressed other sensitive defence issues, saying courts were engaged in what he called an active campaign to smear special forces. He left open the question of further scrutiny of special forces and nuclear weapons by MPs and peers, who sit on bodies including the intelligence and security committee.
Streeting defended the broader approach to defence spending, arguing quality matters as much as quantity. “Spending more money badly is not virtuous,” he said, adding that the goal was readiness “should deterrence fail, to be ready to defeat them.”
