As threats close in on British shores, the lessons of the Defence Procurement Conference must not be lost in Westminster’s power struggles

The Royal Marines’ capture of a shadow fleet oil tanker, revelations that the attack on the Prime Minister’s private home is now believed to be state-sponsored, and the alarming news that a retired couple aboard a 40ft sailing yacht near a stationary Russian warship in the English Channel were subjected to warning shots: all of this surely underlines what our military leaders have been telling us for some time. The world is not safe, and we must be war-ready.

Given that context, you might expect the Defence Procurement Conference in Birmingham earlier this month to have received significant national media attention. With more than 2,500 delegates, representation from all the major defence primes, senior military personnel and SMEs eager to get involved in reshoring, innovating and growing our defence capability, the event carried real weight. Its impetus and key messages spoke directly to the security imperatives facing this country.

Politics over priorities

Sadly, much of the media either ignored the conference entirely or chose to view it solely through the prism of internal Labour Party politics. In doing so, they threw the purpose of the event, its key messages, and the people behind its organisation and delivery, into unnecessary question.

It is not for me to comment on remarks made about individuals; others can address those. What matters is that the warnings about Britain’s position, the drive to strengthen the UK defence supply chain, and the urgent need for pace and collaboration must not be lost in political noise.

This week’s news stories only deepen those concerns. Why was a Russian warship in the Channel, and why were those on board so keen to deter a passing sailing yacht? Were they responding to the seizure of the oil tanker? Were they interfering with undersea pipelines or cables? What was the purpose of attacking the Prime Minister’s home when he was not even there?

Something is going on. And it is no longer confined to Eastern Europe or the South China Sea. It is happening close to home, and the experts are telling us they need more resources to protect us.

We must prioritise national security over political point-scoring, and drive forward the central message of the Defence Procurement Conference: that collaboration between the military, defence primes and the wider UK supply chain is essential, and it must happen at pace. The rest of the world will not wait for us to be ready. On the contrary, those who wish us harm will look to exploit our weaknesses before we have the chance to address them.

The positive outcomes of that conference and the urgent need to properly fund and resource the supply chain deserve column inches. Not negative politics.