Seven days have now passed in the new Iran war. One of Britain’s most frequently quoted political maxims, attributed to Harold Wilson, is that a week is a long time in politics.
The phrase is usually deployed to reflect how fortunes can rapidly change for ministers, their policies and their parties.
But, with deep regret, this last week has shown us that Mr Wilson’s observation applies equally to the fate of our country and its position on the world stage.
Britain’s international status has unquestionably deteriorated since last Saturday, when the first missiles were launched on Tehran, thanks to Sir Keir Starmer‘s quibbling and hesitation in support of our allies.
Britain was once the world’s pre-eminent military power. Even after the privations of the Second World War we have played a key role in Nato since its inception. But under this gutless Prime Minister, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that hundreds of years of repute have been cast aside.
The Metropolitan Police yesterday announced it had arrested four people – one Iranian and three dual British-Iranians – on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Even before that development it was clear the mullahs of Iran do not pose some remote threat confined to the Middle East. They pose a threat here and now.
It is true that there have been decades of under-investment in our military, damaging their capability and their readiness.
The HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air defence destroyer, will be stuck in Portsmouth until next week when it will set sail for Cyprus
There have been countless, repeated warnings from military top brass and expert analysts that Britain’s Armed Forces no longer have enough people or material. The regular Army is at its smallest since the Napoleonic Wars.
Successive governments must share responsibility for that.
But even while our military faced these unforgivable shortages, there was at least an assumption that our political leaders would do the right thing. Not any more. Not under this Labour Government.
And not under Starmer, who was and always will be a human rights barrister who has no affinity with the military.
Labour may believe in a massive, spoon-fed public sector but the only government department where it does not apply this largesse is the Ministry of Defence.
This must change. There are straightforward savings which could free up billions for defence, if the PM and his mediocre Cabinet had the courage to act.
These include tackling egregious spending on the welfare state, exiting the European Convention on Human Rights to help secure Britain’s border and, consequently, slash migrant hand-outs.
Join the debate
Has Britain’s global reputation been sacrificed by our current leadership’s approach to defence and alliances?
Sir Keir Starmer gave an update on the situation in the Middle East at the Downing Street Briefing Room on Thursday
If there is to be another energy crisis as Middle Eastern oil stops flowing, another essential move will be to lighten the tax and regulatory load on British businesses so they can be fleet-footed in response to global pressures.
It has become crystal clear in the last few years that the world faces multiple threats: From Tehran, an emboldened Beijing and a bloodthirsty Kremlin hungry for territory in Europe. An unpredictable president in the White House makes matters even more complex. After the last seven days it feels like world history has begun a new and dangerous chapter.
In that context Labour’s old obsessions – ‘class war’, kow-towing to trade unions and funnelling money to its supporters through the benefits system – appear more indulgent and irresponsible than ever before.
