DEFENCE

• Reduce the military’s carbon footprint by transitioning to sustainable energy (e.g. electric vehicles, biofuels for ships and aircraft).

• Strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather such as floods and storms, and support global stability by aiding vulnerable nations.

• Monitor and mitigate climate-induced conflicts over water, food, and migration.

• Increase investment in offensive and defensive cyber operations, protecting critical infrastructure (e.g. the NHS, energy grids etc.).

• Establish a dedicated counter-disinformation unit to combat foreign influence ops (e.g. Russian/Chinese propaganda).

• Develop ethical frameworks for AI in warfare while maintaining human oversight.

• Stricter arms export controls with a ban on sales to regimes violating human rights.

• Increase transparency by publishing annual reports on arms deals and their impact.

• Focus on defensive tech by investing in drone-jamming, missile defence, and non-lethal alternatives.

• Strong NATO commitment by setting defence spending at 2%+ of GDP, and pushing for burden-sharing among allies. NATO needs an update but now is not the time to talk about leaving it.

• Establish a new EU Security Partnership where the UK would deepen its intelligence-sharing with the EU post-Brexit e.g. joint counter-terrorism efforts.

• Increase contributions to UN peacekeeping missions e.g. conflict prevention in Africa.

• No First Use Policy: Pledge never to use nuclear weapons first, reducing escalation risks.

• Review the Trident system and assess whether a smaller, cheaper deterrent is feasible.

• Renewed efforts at global nuclear disarmament by advocating for renewed US-Russia arms control talks and engaging China in nuclear risk reduction.

• Retrain defence industry workers for green tech e.g. wind turbines, cybersecurity.

• Reinvest in communities by redirecting some military spending to veteran mental health, social housing, and youth programmes.

• Reduce reliance on private military contractors (e.g. Capita recruitment failures) and bring more services back in-house e.g. housing, cleaning etc.

• Preventive diplomacy, focusing on conflict prevention via aid, mediation, and sanctions before military action.

• No more Iraq-style wars with a new Parliamentary veto on overseas interventions without a clear exit strategy & legal basis, and a new War Accountability & Conscription Prioritisation Act to force politicians to have some skin in the game.

• Increase aid for refugees and displaced people from conflict zones.

• Avoid excessive police militarisation by focusing on community policing and de-radicalisation programmes.

• Expand monitoring of domestic terror threats (e.g. neo-Nazi groups).

• Ensure intelligence agencies operate with strong oversight to protect civil liberties.