The threat to Britain from states such as Russia and North Korea is greater than that posed by terrorism, the defence secretary said yesterday, marking a significant shift in security policy.
Gavin Williamson suggested to MPs that more money and a change in the structure of the armed forces would be needed as part of a defence review to meet the challenge of a state-on-state conflict, something that Britain has not had to consider for a generation.
He warned that failure to act would leave the country “a lot less safe than it should be”, telling the defence select committee: “We would highlight state-based threats as the top priority and . . . the speed with which they are escalating. But within a hair [breadth]