Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Conservative Party and His Majesty’s Official Opposition, has appointed Stuart Anderson MP Shadow Minister for War Readiness within the Shadow Defence Team.
Shadow Minister for War Readiness Stuart Anderson MP said:
"If you want peace, you prepare for war. War readiness communicates to our adversaries that we are prepared for any action they may take. Prepared not just to defend, but to respond in kind. In this way, readiness is this country’s greatest deterrent. In an increasingly uncertain and dangerous world, defence should be a top priority. Yet, Labour won’t cut welfare to fund our Armed Forces, and Reform do not even have a defence spokesperson. The Conservatives are the only party with a plan to invest in our defence and keep our country safe.”
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge MP said:
"It is fantastic to have Stuart joining the team in such a critical role. The threats to Britain are rising and Labour are not doing enough. Labour's Chancellor, who resigned as Defence Secretary over the former Chancellor's refusal to fund 3%, has refused to fund 3%, and the promised Defence Readiness Bill is missing in action. In contrast, the Conservative Party is taking the threat seriously and that' is why Kemi has brought Stuart into the team as Shadow Minster for War Readiness."
The creation of this role reflects how seriously the Conservative Party takes the threats posed to our country, and the very real risk of an attack on NATO in the near future. Stuart will bring focus to the Conservative Party’s defence policies and the short-term preparedness of the country to fight a war. This will include not just the existing war-fighting positioning of the Armed Forces, but also the security of Critical National Infrastructure.
Stuart brings with him over three decades of experience in defence and security after serving as a soldier in the Royal Green Jackets. Stuart currently represents the UK in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Ukraine NATO Inter-Parliamentary Council. He has just returned from a trip to Ukraine where he witnessed first-hand the country’s fight against Russian aggression. He met with key Ministers from across the Ukrainian Government and was forced to take shelter during Russian air raids.
Last week, Kemi MP set out the Conservatives Party’s plan to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030. This follows earlier announcements by the Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge to increase the size of the standing army and the reserve force and create a Sovereign Defence Fund to invest up to £50 billion in defence. In this appointment, Kemi Badenoch, MP and the Conservative Party signal again their commitment to national defence, meeting the increasing threats faced by this country of hybrid and unconventional warfare, in addition to armed conflict in Europe and the Middle East. Meanwhile the Labour Party are refusing to commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, and Andy Burnham made the extraordinary statement at Prime Minister’s Questions that “national security cannot come at the expense of social security” – in other words, Labour will not cut welfare to fund defence. Stuart said that the Conservatives are the only party with a plan to do that, and the leadership and backbone to keep our country safe.
