David Willetts

A cross-party group of MPs is set to launch a national advertising campaign that will highlight their view that the UK's military is underfunded - amid calls for increased defence spending. 🔗 Read more trib.al/9jZzHcQ

From Ukraine to Iran, David is fending off Goliath in modern wars. My weekend read in @thetimes thetimes.com/article/193698…

"Labour and Conservative and coalition governments hollowed out defence." Sir Ben Wallace, former defence secretary under the last Conservative government, clarifies previous comments and says as the threat against the UK grows, so should funding.

We've been in a "new era of threat" for over a decade - it stopped being new ages ago - this line is getting so tired. It also never seems to result in more cash, commitment or credibility

Excellent article here, well worth a read

'Do you think it's deliberate that Russia took advantage of the Middle East conflict to try to launch this operation?' - @haynesdeborah 'I'm pretty clear that Putin would want us to be distracted by the Middle East' - John Healey He adds: 'We will not take our eyes off Putin'

BREAKING: Three Russian submarines tried to spy on underwater cables and pipelines in and around UK waters while the world was distracted with Iran, the defence secretary has revealed thetimes.com/article/148972…

EXCLUSIVE: China alleged spy case MP reported for 'inappropriate conduct' with a senior navy officer working on UK's nuclear submarines Joani Reid met the officer at a visit to Faslane naval base last year Full story in @thetimes tomorrow: thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

Inside the cockpit of RAF tanker during defensive mission against Iranian drones bbc.in/4bHaPCj

US think tank: The UK government has accepted an ambitious and necessary vision for British defense, promised to deliver it at what it called a “wartime pace,” and then spent the better part of two years producing nothing of substance. There are no significant program commitments, no major modernization announcements, and no serious investment decisions.  fpri.org/article/2026/0…

🗣️ 'It has been a tough month to commentate on as a proud Navy guy watching us unable to sail a single ship.' Retired Navy Commander @TomSharpe134 tells @AnnaJonesSky & @WilfredFrost that governments since 1990 have neglected defence.

🚨 EXC: Fresh alarm bells from industry over delays to UK govt’s military spending plan Execs warn... • UK risks losing cutting-edge defence technology, as promising start-ups consider relocating abroad • Some def companies risk going bust while waiting for govt contracts

EXCL: Green party members pushing for investigations and prosecutions of members of the government complicit in the Iran war. But Defence Minister Al Carns says Zack Polanski must "face down" these calls for a mandate for "state-sponsored harassment". thesun.co.uk/news/38655375/…

💥 Fears are mounting in Britain and the rest of Europe that the US will abandon its Nato allies and make a deal with Russia. Full story in @thetimes includes concerns European allies could turn on each other over PURL and the impact of Iran war on Ukraine thetimes.com/article/584309…

This so embarrassing for the Royal Navy. The wheels were going to come off at some point, but this crisis has exposed failures that many have been warning about for years. There’s no short cuts - you’ve got to back defence with real money

Defence secretary John Healey denies that the Treasury is delaying the publication of the defence investment plan, telling #TimesRadio the chancellor has given defence an "extra eight billion pounds this year” compared to the previous government. @JohnHealey_MP | @StigAbell

Good introduction to the civil war at heart of the racing establishment on the opening day of the Cheltenham festival from @Tom_Morgs today in @Telegraph

How depleted weapons stockpiles could affect the Iran conflict bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

This interview from @larisamlbrown is quite something. How one moment can define a lifetime Two decades ago Richard Jackson, then a high-flying civil servant destined for a notable career in public service, lost top secret documents containing intelligence on al-Qaeda and Iraq on a train The documents were found by a member of the public and passed to the BBC Jackson was charged under the Official Secrets Act, prosecuted, fined and demoted three grades He says he has never forgiven himself; that he had no excuses and that he deserved what happened; he accepts the process because it was by the book He subsequently suffered from clinical depression and once considered taking his own life. He says his wife, Maddie, saved him. 'I wouldn't be here without her' He has set up a coaching and wellbeing company called Newday, which aims to help others who handle sensitive or distressing information cope with the strain “I will probably never forgive myself for it [the loss of the documents]. I am, I guess, ashamed of it. But I have to move on. I went through a phase of not wanting to move on, that is why I do what I do now.” Following advice from a life coach, he has Post-it Notes next to his desk reminding him of all the positive things he has done “It does help, but in the back of my head I still have that voice going, you still left papers on the train. That is always there. Always.” thetimes.com/uk/defence/art…

18 years after Richard Jackson lost top secret documents on Al Qaeda on a train he has decided to tell his story for the first time. It was incredibly moving to speak to him. An interview that makes you wonder many times, "what if". thetimes.com/article/92c656…