Sir Keir Starmer’s recent speech on national defence was less a rallying cry and more a masterclass in gaslighting. With all the solemn gravitas of a man rehearsing for a statesman role he’s yet to earn, Starmer laid out his government’s “vision” for rebuilding Britain’s military might—while quietly admitting it will take years to restore the UK’s ability to defend itself.
This, from the leader of a country facing rising global tensions, threats from both hostile states and transnational terror networks, and a crumbling domestic sense of pride and patriotism. For anyone still clutching to the hope that Labour’s “grown-up government” would take the defence of the realm seriously, this speech was a damning wake-up call. Britain, it turns out, is not battle-ready. And worse—its leaders don’t seem to think that matters.
Promises Delayed, While Enemies Prepare
Starmer’s speech glossed over the fact that we are woefully under-resourced. Our army is at its smallest size since the Napoleonic era. Our munitions stockpiles are pitiful, with reports suggesting we couldn’t sustain a serious conflict for more than a few weeks. Yet here was Starmer, standing at the dispatch box, promising that “in time” the UK would be strong again.
What he offered was not leadership—it was procrastination.
When pressed, the Labour government’s own officials admit that revitalising the forces will be a “long-term project.” Meanwhile, the world isn’t waiting. China is expanding its naval fleet. Russia, undeterred by Western hand-wringing, is grinding forward in Ukraine. Iran is funnelling weapons across the Middle East. And here in Britain, our response is to plan for a build-up. Slowly. One spreadsheet at a time.
If the government truly believed we faced a serious threat, would it be making speeches about long-term investments? Or would it be taking urgent, radical action to bolster our security now?
No One Wants to Serve a Country That Won’t Serve Them
And herein lies the real rot at the core of the military crisis: recruitment is in freefall. The army missed its recruitment targets again last year. Young people are not signing up. Veterans are leaving disillusioned. Morale is on the floor.
Why? Because British people no longer believe this country is worth fighting for.
This isn’t just about defence budgets or ageing tanks—it’s about a society that has turned its back on its own. The very citizens who might once have considered service are now watching as they’re treated like second-class citizens in their own land.
There is a two-tier system in Britain. It’s real. It’s visible. And it’s driving people away from the idea of national service. The average working-class Brit sees how illegal immigrants are housed in hotels while veterans sleep rough. They see how the courts bend over backwards to accommodate cultural sensitivities while failing to protect British girls groomed and abused in towns up and down the country. They see how the police crack down harder on an old man for a Facebook post than on those chanting hate in the streets of London.
And now we ask our youth to fight and die for what, exactly? A country that ignores their plight? A nation where loyalty is rewarded with scorn and patriotism is smeared as extremism?
The people of Britain are not blind. They know that while the Union Jack flutters in political photo-ops, the substance of what it once stood for has been hollowed out.
Gaslighting the Nation
So when Starmer speaks of rebuilding, we must ask: rebuilding what, exactly? His speech didn’t inspire pride—it patronised it. It was a cynical attempt to appear strong while doing nothing of the sort. Promising to “defend British values” while presiding over their erosion is not strength. It’s theatre.
It was gaslighting on a national scale. Pretending all is well, that patriotism still thrives, and that we’re simply in a temporary logistical lull—when in truth, the fabric of our defence, our identity, and our resolve is unravelling.
The British people deserve better than empty words and delayed plans. We deserve a government that believes in this country—its traditions, its people, and its future. Until then, no amount of defence white papers or parliamentary speeches will restore what’s truly been lost: the will to fight for a country that fights for us.