The Green Party has criticised the government announcement of a £16.5bn investment in defence which is taking place outside the framework of a full spending review. This represents a 10% increase in the defence budget
Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack said:
“Just one day after offering a paltry amount for the climate, and amid talks of slashing the aid budget, the decision to prioritise the defence budget is clearly about posturing on the international stage rather than protecting security at home.
“As we leave the European Union we should establish the role of Global Britain as a peace-maker not warmonger. It should be our role to show leadership on multilateral negotiations to reduce the threats from drones and robots rather than accelerating a digital arms race.”
Greens argue that investment in a new space command, cyber force and artificial intelligence agency fail to target the real source of threats to our security.
Womack said:
“This is a massive escalation in the digital arms race but does nothing to address the real threats to our security that come from pandemics [1] and the climate emergency [2], both of which are exacerbated by our inability to live in balance with our planet. We are walking blindfold into a video game dystopia without a public debate.
“To justify this investment on the basis of jobs is both immoral and deceitful. The work that really needs doing to protect our future lies in making our homes, farms, and transport system fit for the climate crisis.”
ENDS
Notes
1
RUSI report, Revamping Crisis Resilience and Security in the Post-Pandemic World
2
The World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report 2020.