Sanctioned Russian shadow fleet vessels are now a frequent sight in and around UK waters including the English Channel, with over 300 movements recorded in the first 3 months of 2026 alone. Despite the Labour Prime Minister talking tough and announcing that UK armed forces had permission to board sanctioned ships transiting UK waters, I do understand the frustration some of my constituents have expressed at the lack of any actual action to detain or seize any vessels suspected of transporting Russian oil. I do also recognise the Royal Navy has closely and effectively surveilled and monitored these vessels and commend them for doing so.
We also learnt from Labour’s Defence Secretary that Russia is a clear and present threat to our subsea and offshore infrastructure. It is critical the MOD continues to monitor activity within UK waters and our Economic Exclusion Zone to counter and deter such threats. I am aware Royal Navy ships frequently patrol throughout the UK Economic Exclusion Zone and are routed through the North Sea where possible.
I understand Labour Ministers have spent two months working on legal justifications to seize these Russian shadow fleet oil tankers which, sometimes accompanied by armed Russian naval escorts, make their way unimpeded through the English Channel. John Healey, the Defence Secretary, defending the delay by claiming a “clear legal basis” was needed to intercept the tankers.
According to a Telegraph report on the 26th of March 2026,
‘Each ship targeted by the UK will be individually considered by law enforcement, military and energy market specialists before a recommendation is made to ministers and an operation is executed.’
This is the situation we are in, legal paralysis. International law, according to Lord Hermer, Labour’s Attorney General - Keir Starmer’s first political appointee and close friend - could potentially be breached. Once again, while our enemies show no respect for or adherence to international law, we are hamstrung by it.
I do agree there has been a decades long underinvestment in our Armed Forces, including the Royal Navy, for which the Conservative Party must take its share of the blame. Rightly or wrongly, it was simply not seen as a priority by successive governments of all stripes. Due to a more settled geopolitical situation, we focused our time and resources on other matters, something we must all acknowledge and make amends for.
However, a little more positively, when we were in government, we ensured our Armed Forces have the advanced technology they need to keep our country safe. We built two new aircraft carriers, bought F-35 jets, drones and procured the most lethal tanks ever used by the Army. We established AUKUS and a programme with Italy and Japan to develop one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets, as well as committing to the full renewal of our nuclear deterrent.
By 2020, the Conservative Government had announced a major uplift in defence spending and the biggest programme of investment in British defence since the end of the Cold War. Then in 2024, we made a commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP – which was, at the time, the biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation. The Labour Government scrapped that fully funded commitment when they came into power, then reannounced it seven months later, on the 25th of February 2025 as a target to hit in 2027.
My Conservative colleagues have scrutinised this Labour Government’s approach to defending our Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) from interference. Shadow Ministers have pushed the Government for information on how Ministers are widening the number of international partners proactively involved in addressing threats in the North Sea and the Baltic, as well as asking Ministers how they are coordinating among NATO allies to respond to incursions. They have also asked the Government to set out how it is developing underwater capabilities to protect our critical infrastructure.
I can tell constituents, I am deeply concerned at the lack of clarity on how this Labour Government intends to defend Britain’s CNI and I am clear that threats to our CNI must be met with robust action, not just statements of intent.
James Cartlidge MP Statement on X regarding the Royal Navy Frigates
All three authors of last year’s Strategic Defence Review have criticised this Labour Government’s attitude towards defence more widely. General Sir Richard Barrons said there was an ‘enormous gap’ between current plans and what was needed to defend Britain. Dr Fiona Hill said there was no ‘sense of urgency’. Lord George Robertson said the Government had shown a ‘corrosive complacency’ towards defence.
Likewise, the Labour Government’s lack of action and current chaos is hindering our Armed Forces and Britain’s defence industry. Ministers have repeatedly delayed the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which had been due in Autumn 2025 but has still not been published. The Plan’s delay means that there is no plan for how our Forces will buy equipment, weapons and munitions, and no plan for rearming Britain – because the Government has no idea how to pay for it.
James Cartlidge MP Statement on X regarding Munitions Strategy
The Labour Government’s stated intention to spend 3% of GDP on defence by the mid-2030s is far too slow. It continues to spend incredible amounts on welfare instead of funding our Armed Forces, even as our world becomes more dangerous and military chiefs warn, with increasing desperation, about the £28 billion black hole Labour has created in our defence budget. Starmer’s Government can tell us exactly how it is going to pay for record benefits spending but can’t explain how it is going to reach three per cent of GDP on defence. Incredibly, this Labour Government is still determined to surrender the strategically vital Chagos Islands to Mauritius, an ally of China, and hand over £35 billion.
At a time when our nation is facing such significant global threats, it is disappointing the Prime Minister rejected the Leader of the Opposition’s – Kemi Badenoch – offer to engage across parties to increase defence spending. We are clear we would raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of this Parliament and Kemi Badenoch has been calling on the Labour Government to set out funded plans to do this for over a year now.
There is no question Britain should be investing more in our defence. A future Conservative Government would reform the Government's net zero National Wealth Fund into a Sovereign Defence Fund (SDF) with up to £50 billion of funding to support and accelerate Britain's defence readiness. We would transform our Armed Forces and strengthen the resilience of our UK defence industries with a fully funded plan based on repurposing existing Labour Government expenditure to invest in this national priority. The SDF would mobilise billions in public and private funding to support them, including taking stakes in UK defence start-ups, investing in dual-use companies, and supporting the resilience of supply chains –crucially reducing our reliance on hostile states like China.
This includes £6 billion from the Government's R&D budget and £11 billion ringfenced from Labour’s green energy National Wealth Fund to be turned into the National Defence and Resilience Bank and £33 billion of private finance through National Defence and Resilience Bank mobilisation. Reintroducing the 2-child benefit cap will save £3.2 billion per year. Using our Golden Economic Rule, we will use £1.6 billion to reduce the deficit and the remaining £1.6 billion will go to Defence.
We are committing to growing the Regular Army to 80,000 and the Army Reserves to 40,000 – a total increase of 20,000 soldiers. In contrast, constituents may be aware that Labour is currently repealing protections we introduced for veterans in the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, opening the door to lawfare and politically motivated, vexatious claims that risk dragging elderly veterans into court rooms, just as Richard Hermer did in the 2010s.
Operation Banner Veterans (Northern Ireland Troubles Bill) May 26
Threatening the Army’s morale just as we face the most profound military threats since the Cold War is an unbelievable, self-inflicted and deeply harmful act. I am far from alone in fearing that prosecuting those who served their country in past conflicts undermines military recruitment and retention at the worst possible time. As my colleague Rt Hon Alex Burghart MP pointed out,
‘We find ourselves in a situation where retired generals, SAS veterans and the like are all telling this House not to proceed. They are telling us that there will be consequences—for recruitment, for retention and for national security. This morning in a statement, Soldier Z said that
“The damage being done to the morale and fibre of UK special forces and armed forces…must be understood by the public, because it’s very well understood by the SAS.”
When such people speak, this House has an obligation to listen.’
My party’s new and important plans would deliver a more agile UK Armed Forces, while supporting innovation and economic growth - making Britain safer and more prosperous. Please rest assured that my colleagues and I will continue to press the Prime Minister and Labour on what action he and they are taking to find the money to pay for our vital defence. Afterall, without funding, without a plan, without action, the Prime Minister’s lip service to our national security is just talk…
You can find out more details about our fully funded, updated and ready to go plans for the Sovereign Defence Fund Bill and our Protect Our Veterans Bill by clicking on this link to the Conservative’s: Alternative King's Speech
You may be interested in reading my statements on these topics:
Mims Davies MP Statement on the Chinese State (CCP) | Mims Davies
Mims Davies MP Statement on the Chagos Islands - an Update | Mims Davies
Mims Davies MP Statement on Iran | Mims Davies
