UK is rewriting war response for the first time in 50 years \u2014 from rationing to hospitals<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_Easter-Egg-Roll-2026-at-the-White-House.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nOPINION<\/p>\n
![\"Author](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Mikey-Smith-byline-picture-1.png\")
Mikey Smith![\"Britain](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Tan-Dhesi-MP.jpg\")
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Britain has not yet risen to the occasion, Tan Dhesi warned(Image: Ian Vogler \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n
Last year the Strategic Defence Review set out the long-term vision for our military, but the Defence Investment Plan, or the \u201cDIP\u201d, was meant to provide the details. The Government knows what needs fixing \u2014 but the plan to do it, promised for last autumn, is still missing. Months have been lost. In today\u2019s world, that matters.<\/p>\n
The lack of a public plan now runs the risk of undermining UK defence, from our vital defence industry to our relationships with partners. For British people, this matters more than Whitehall process. Defence plans guide what kit our forces train with, what equipment is built \u2014 from drones and aircraft to tanks and ships \u2014 and whether Britain can stand on its own two feet in a crisis.<\/p>\n
Without the DIP, we have no plan. No clear direction. No reassurance for our forces or the industry that supports them. Allies want to know not just what Britain says, but what it is prepared to deliver. Uncertainty breeds doubt \u2014 and doubt weakens deterrence. And now reports appear to confirm that the Defence Readiness Bill won\u2019t be included in the King\u2019s Speech \u2013 another knock for UK defence.<\/p>\n
Our nation\u2019s safety is not a party-political issue. My committee is a cross-party group of MPs that holds the Government to account on defence. Members of the committee are seeing the same worrying pattern: deadlines missed, decisions delayed, urgency lacking. Our warnings are based on hard evidence heard in public \u2014 from senior military leaders, defence firms, and frontline voices \u2014 not party talking points.<\/p>\n
For years now we\u2019ve heard that our Armed Forces are \u201chollowed out\u201d and that we are in a pre-war age. Well, then where is the action? This is too important \u2013 we can\u2019t tolerate any further dithering. Whatever is blocking progress in the Ministry of Defence must be cleared \u2014 now. Britain cannot afford to drift while the world around us grows more dangerous.<\/p>\n
‘Give Slough a chance’<\/p>\n
Move over Betjeman and Brent, Slough might be the target of punchlines and lazy journo hit pieces, but don\u2019t underestimate this great town Slough\u2019s reputation often precedes it, but its history, culture and technology reach far further than you might think. It\u2019s a huge business and tech hub, delivering for the whole country. It has the second largest concentration of data centres in the world, highest GVA per head in the UK and the largest number of UK corporate HQs outside of London, making it an ideal candidate for a Government\u2019s AI Growth Zone. It\u2019s also the people that make Slough. It\u2019s the community spirit, the multicultural and creative melting pot, with over 150 languages spoken and Pinewood and Shinfield Studios just on our doorstep. So forget what you\u2019ve heard \u2013 Slough is on the up!<\/p>\n
‘Sikh war heroes deserve national memorial’<\/p>\n
For many years I have been President of the National Sikh War Memorial Trust working hard, alongside Chairman Andrew Fane and other trustees, to deliver on a memorial for the over 100,000 Sikh soldiers injured during major conflicts and both World Wars. I know personally the importance of this; my great-grandfather lost a leg fighting in the First World War and my grandmother\u2019s brother and other family members fought in the Second World War. It\u2019s crucial we have a national memorial.<\/p>\n
“Artemis II should inspire us all”<\/p>\n
Watching Artemis II\u2019s journey, humans travelling further from Earth than ever before, was truly inspirational. This project will undoubtedly achieve more incredible milestones and allow us fresh insights into space. Nothing quite shows the endless possibilities of human achievement than space exploration. Welcome home Artemis II!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘Conflict in the Middle East has spread across the region, causing a humanitarian crisis, and piling pressure on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11624,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13,361,42,4363,14,5504,5502,5503],"class_list":{"0":"post-11623","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-britain","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-middle-east","11":"tag-ministry-of-defence","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-soldiers","14":"tag-world-war-2","15":"tag-world-war-i"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116385558338828801","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Britain](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_British-Armed-Forces-Carry-Out-Parachute-Drop-Exercise-In-Wiltshire.jpg\")
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