The Conservative Party has unveiled plans to invest £10 billion in a new air defence system, named “Britannia Shield,” designed to protect the UK, its overseas territories, and military bases from missile and drone attacks. The announcement was made by Kemi Badenoch on the third day of the party’s annual conference in Birmingham.
Britannia Shield would comprise an integrated network of radar, command and control centres, interceptor missiles, and counter-drone technology. Mrs Badenoch emphasised the growing security threats, saying: “War has returned to Europe. Missiles and drones are transforming warfare in the Middle East. Cheap weapons can now threaten cities, military bases and critical infrastructure in ways that would have sounded like science fiction a generation ago. The threat is here. Britain must be ready.”
The Conservatives have committed to increasing defence spending to 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, a move set to add approximately £10 billion a year to the defence budget. Funding for this increased spending, including the Britannia Shield project, is proposed to come from reinstating the two-child benefit cap and reforms to housing benefit.
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Party insiders described the Britannia Shield as “in essence, a British iron dome,” with the system expected to cost about £1 billion annually over the next decade as part of the Conservatives' broader defence commitments.
In response, Labour criticised the Conservatives’ past record on defence spending, pointing out fluctuations and real-term cuts between 2010 and 2017 before spending returned to 2010 levels. A Labour spokesperson accused the Tories of hollowing out the armed forces and argued they should not be trusted with national security again.
Labour has set a target to increase defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, with plans to reach 2.7 percent by 2027/28, although details on further increments remain uncertain.
Mrs Badenoch highlighted what she described as Labour’s prioritisation of social security over national security, stating, “Labour still will not commit the money Britain needs for defence. They keep pouring billions into a broken welfare system while leaving our security underfunded. When forced to choose, they pick social security over national security. Conservatives choose differently.”
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge, speaking ahead of a conference speech, called Britannia Shield “the most significant upgrade to UK air defence for generations,” underlining the necessity of such investment given current threats.
The Liberal Democrats also criticised the Tory pledge. Defence spokesperson James MacCleary called the funding insufficient for a UK-wide air defence system and criticised the Conservatives’ approach to defence spending, arguing that their proposed funding cuts to vulnerable families would not enhance Britain’s security.
The Conservatives seek to distinguish their defence strategy sharply from Labour’s ahead of the next general election, focusing on enhanced military capability and increased spending commitments to address evolving global security challenges.