In defence circles, conversation has for months been dominated by the upcoming Defence Investment Plan – a now semi-mythical document that has achieved totemic status.
The plan is expected to set out the Government’s funding priorities for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and, as such, is watched with eager eyes by everyone in the defence sector. The fact that it has been delayed, repeatedly, since last autumn is indicative of the Government’s carefree attitude towards national defence.
Former Labour defence secretary Lord Robertson’s major intervention this month on the Government’s “corrosive complacency” was welcome, but there is no real sense yet that it will shift the dial in No 10 or the Treasury.
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According to the estate agent Hamptons, landlords in the UK are now paying 40% more in interest payments than last year (Photo: Susannah Ireland/AFP via Getty Images)
HOUSING
What the Renters’ Rights Act means for tenants and landlords
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will introduce new rules for private landlords and give tenants new rights from 1 May, 2026.
The Government said the new legislation will will improve the current system for both the 11 million private renters and 2.3 million landlords in England.
What will the new legislation mean for renters?
The Act will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities and avoid the risk of homelessness, the Government said.
The Renters’ Reform Act is coming into effect this Friday
(Alicia G. Monedero/Getty Images/ iStockphoto)
Newsletter (£)
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The measures to protect tenants
The new rules apply automatically, regardless of whether or not an individual’s tenancy agreement is updated in writing by their landlord.
After 1 May, 2026, it will not be possible for assured tenancy agreements to have a fixed term or a set end date. All tenancies will become rolling tenancies.
Landlords will no longer be able to use rent review clauses for new rent increases.
Renters have the right to request to keep a pet.
Rent can only be raised once a year, and no higher than open market rent.
Landlords will need a legal reason to evict tenants.
Renters will be able to end their tenancy at any point as long as they give at least two months’ notice in writing.
MONEY
The pension plan that could leave you short of cash in retirement
Rising living costs, longer life expectancies and uncertainty around future care needs are changing.
An increasingly popular idea, the so-called “U-shaped” retirement, is gaining traction, but financial experts warn that relying on it too heavily could leave retirees exposed.
What is a ‘U-shaped retirement’?
The theory behind the “U-shaped retirement” is that spending tends to be highest in the years immediately after you finish working, before dipping and rising again later, often due to health or care costs.
Pensions are one of the most tax-efficient ways to save for retirement
(Aitor Diago/Getty Images/ Moment RF/AITOR DIAGO
Cash ISA rules are changing next year (Photo: LordHenriVoton/E+/Miljan Lakic/Getty)
This broadly aligns with what planners see in practice; the early years, sometimes called the “go-go” phase, are when fit and active retirees travel, pursue hobbies and even help family members financially.
Potential downsides
However, it is hard to predict how long you’ll live and how quickly your health may change.
Equally, over-spending in the “go-go” years could backfire if your retirement lasts several decades.
Inflation and policy changes can derail even the best-set plans, and so can any unexpected costs.
There is also no guarantee that your spending will dip as the U-shape model relies upon.
Agony Uncle
5 min read
The top takeaway
Perhaps the most important takeaway is that retirement planning should not be rigid. Instead, experts stress the need for adaptability.
Good retirement planning is less about fitting clients into a predefined curve and more about building a flexible, resilient strategy that can adapt over time.
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OPINION
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You do not need to have it all figured out but you do need to start (Photo: Olha Danylenko/ Getty)
MONEY
How disposable income varies across the UK
There is disparity between UK cities in the level of disposable income that people have left over at the end of each month, new analysis has revealed.
The average Brit’s monthly wallet
According to MoneySuperMarket’s household money index, the average Briton spends £1,477.50 a month on bills and expenses, up £22.50 since the start of 2026.
However, the average person’s disposable income has also risen by £86.41 since the year began, up to £802.33 a month.
MONEY
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SAVING AND BANKING
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Geographical disparity
Meanwhile, city-to-city disparity in exactly how much money people have left over every month is based on the percentage of income spent on bills and expenses, rather than the actual cash amount in outgoings.
Caption: BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – MAY 03: A general view of teh Brighton Ferris Wheel and visitors to the beach on May 3, 2013 in Brighton, England. Southern England has enjoyed some warm and sunny weather today and it is set to continue throughout the bank-holiday weekend. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
Photographer: Jordan Mansfield
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2013 Jordan Mansfield
People in Brighton, for example, spend the highest proportion of their income on bills and expenses (75.2 per cent, amounting to £1,567.18 a month on average) and have the least disposable cash remaining, at £516.57.
UK cities with least disposable income
2Edinburgh is next, with 70.2 per cent of income (£1,489.91) going to expenses and £632.34 left over.
3Southampton follows for income spent on outgoings (68.7 per cent, £1,479.36), with £672.64 left.
4In Norwich, 65 per cent of income (£1,300.68) goes on expenses, with £688.99 in spare cash.
5And Birmingham has the fourth-lowest disposable income on average, at £697.03
UK cities with most disposal income
Caption:
Sundays on the Maritime Mile, Belfast
Provided by Jenna.Crymble@maritimebelfast.com
Photographer: Makenzie-Ray Taylor
Low spend, high cash
In Belfast, just 59.5 per cent of income is spent on outgoings, with a UK-high £954.66 left over.
London
Londoners have £1,669.86 outgoings – but that’s 63.9 per cent of average monthly income, with £943.89 left over.
London’s reputation as a magnet for millionaires is in jeopardy as thousands flee to other countries a new report claims (Photo: Daniel Leal/ AFP)
Glasgow University looms over the West End (Photo: PAUL WATT)
Glasgow
In Glasgow, an average of £857.62 is left over after £1,413.63 (62.2 per cent of income) goes on expenses.
However, an almost greater failure of the Government, considering that it would have cost relatively little in the grand scheme of things, is the complete lack of the “national conversation on defence” promised in the Strategic Defence Review last year.
Wars are fought by societies. Our history teaches us this – from the struggle against Napoleon to the two World Wars – as does the current war in Ukraine, which I recently visited to view a modern wartime society in action. Broad participation from all levels of society is required to sustain any national war effort.
After the haphazard efforts of the First World War, for example, the UK made conscious efforts to set up volunteer civil defence organisations, which then went on to perform heroic work during the Blitz.
In Ukraine, many societal resilience efforts were started by ordinary citizens and innovative companies who saw an urgent need and tried to solve the problem themselves, either post-2014 or in the immediate aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion.
Citizens in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region provide first aid to a supposedly injured person during a training exercise organised by the Center for Preparing the Population for National Resistance (Photo: Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform)
Despite this, defence remains essentially an elite sport in the UK. Conversations on defence and security are mostly confined to a small community of industry insiders, think-tank pundits, senior MoD officials and a few select journalists, often held in restricted settings. The language is often deliberately obscure (why are weapons now called “effectors”?), outsiders are distrusted and the general public is frequently sneered at for simply “not getting it”.
Unfortunately, educating and making the public aware always seems to be someone else’s problem. As such, the “national conversation” has never materialised, either from the Government or the wider defence sector, outside a few specific writers and isolated efforts like the laudable Wargame podcast from Sky News.
Contrary to what many seem to think, this should not just be a conversation on spending and trade-offs, though both are important. Just as critical is creating a sense of wider societal resilience, preparedness and mobilisation, in all senses of the word. Nor should it be merely a case of more coverage of defence in the news. People should feel engaged and part of the national defence effort, not merely better-informed bystanders.
A column of Russian missile S-400 Triumf systems drives across Red Square in Moscow last May for its Victory Day parade (Photo: VCG/Getty)
The lack of this conversation and urgency amongst the general public is a categorical failure of the defence sector as a whole, from the Government to defence firms and think-tanks.
Where are the open debates on resilience and security, and the pamphlets for what to do in a crisis scenario, both for individuals and small businesses? Where is the drive for voluntary civil defence organisations to support communities in an emergency? Where are the television programmes and documentaries to stimulate conversation on the dangers we face?
Defence industrial sites and military bases should have tours to convince communities of the economic importance of defence. Citizens’ assemblies should be organised in conjunction with major think-tanks.
A cynic might say that the Government does not want a national conversation on defence, to avoid tricky questions on spending – they are probably correct. However, in the absence of any Government direction, the wider defence and security community needs to step up, especially those that are poised to make a lot of money out of the British taxpayer.
Ukrainian citizens participate in practical shooting drills as part of a national resistance preparation programme in the Kharkiv (Photo: Serhii Masin/Anadolu via Getty)
Of course, that would potentially break up comfortable routines of talking to the same people at the same round of conferences each year, and involve actually engaging with the public, ideally in plain English rather than inscrutable defence jargon. Unpalatable for many, but a necessity for anyone who says they care about national defence.
The world is getting nastier, both geopolitically and climatically, and the old certainties no longer exist. Britain needs to prepare itself, not just as a state, but as a nation. We are nowhere near ready, materially or culturally.
Matthew Palmer served in the British Army and is now a writer, consultant and Adjunct Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy. He writes in a personal capacity on the website Cracking Defence