This year has already been defined by major instability and potential long-term damage to global supply chains, which has raised critical questions about how we secure supply lines for our most vital needs.
While European and American leaders obsess over securing vital components and resources for technologies and munitions of the future – as demonstrated this past week at the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, where rare earths and semiconductors dominated the agenda – they are ignoring another critical vulnerability. Modern militaries, as well as societies, rely on uninterrupted access to frontline antibiotics as much as they do ammunition or fuel – and right now, Beijing controls that supply.
Antibiotics are the bedrock of modern medicine; without them, healthcare systems as we know it would effectively collapse. Each year, roughly four million operations are carried out in England alone. Without antibiotics to prevent and treat infections, modern healthcare would become highly dangerous. They’re prescribed for everything from strep throat to routine wisdom tooth removals, from treating sexually transmitted infections to managing cuts and safeguarding mothers and babies during childbirth.
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Weight training has a host of benefits, but only if it’s done correctly.
We asked personal trainers the common mistakes that people make when lifting – especially for the first time or early on in their strength journey – and how to avoid them.
Woman lifting barbell with heavy weights in cross training gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Priotising weight over form
When the load is too heavy, form usually breaks down, the wrong muscles take over, and the risk of injury goes up. If you can’t control the lowering part of the movement, keep good posture, or move through the full range, you’re compromising.
CELEBRITY TRAINER AND PT AIMEE LONG
The mistakes you could be making
Close up of male athlete gripping heavy green kettlebell during strength training exercise in cross training gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Not progressing
If you’re reaching for the same pair of dumbbells each week you’re likely just maintaining muscle, not building.
The wrong trainers
You need adequate support for your ankles, without overly cushioning your arches.
Find the best shoes for you (Photo: Xavier Lorenzo/Getty/Moment RF)
Woman at the Gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Not timing your rest
PT Nancy Best’s advice is to take 90 seconds of downtime before picking your weight back up.
Research has found that strength training can help slow bone loss
(Photo: FJ Jimenez/Moment RF
via Getty)
Neglecting recovery
Progress does not happen during the workout itself; it happens afterwards when your body repairs and rebuilds.
Poor sleep, not eating enough calories or protein, or training the same muscles hard every single day can hinder recovery and leave you constantly exhausted, says Long.
Not choosing the right exercises
An effective programme is built around variety.
- Ensure your training includes each movement for the upper and lower body.
- PT Luke Worthington recommends a push/pull programming.
- Upper body push targets the shoulders or chest and upper body pull typically works the back.
- Lower body push includes squats and leg press whereas pulls include deadlifts and hinges.
What to do
- Perfect the movements before increasing the weight.
- Best recommends Nike Metcons or Converse for a flat, stable surface.
- Aim to eat 1.4-2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight if you’re regularly exercising.
- When you’re comfortable you can increase the weight, number of sets or reps, or range of motion to progress each lift.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
The eight biggest mistakes we make
when retiring
Psychologist and author Dr Denise Taylor says we shouldn’t sleepwalk into retirement, nor stop walking, just because everyone else has.
Denise Taylor’s marriage ended at 60 as the structure of the working day faded away (Photo: Mihai Zsigmond)
The mistakes we make when retiring
The man is currently drawing a small defined benefit (DB) pension (Photo: SimpleImages/Getty)
Hoarding money
Many clients tell me their biggest regret was spending too little when they were healthiest and most able to enjoy it.
Planning to rest
Boredom in retirement is misunderstood. It’s rarely about having nothing to do. It’s about having time without meaning.
Naps before 1pm can lead to better cognitive performance in the following hours (Photo: Lord Henri Voton/Getty Images)
Photographer: Lourdes Balduque
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Copyright: Lourdes Balduque
Not mentally preparing
People prepare financially and practically, but don’t do the psychological work of leaving well.
Waiting to plan what’s next
Once the structure of work disappears, people can slip into a narrower way of being. Start sketching out possible paths at least two years ahead. Even rough ideas about what you might want to explore – creative projects, volunteering, learning.
DR DENISE TAYLOR
Denise Taylor has worked with many clients who moved into ‘purposeful’ roles expecting to feel better, only to be more depleted than before
(Photo: Ilona Gierach)
Common mistakes she sees
‘I know it’s a minor thing but it makes me feel unheard and ignored’ (Photo: PonyWang/Getty)
Not preparing as a couple
Discuss how much time you want together, and what kind of lives you’re moving towards, rather than assuming it will naturally align.
Trying to stay busy
Without noticing what drains your energy, activity becomes a way of bypassing the deeper adjustment.
Remember to care for your lawn (Photo: RHS / Tim Sandall)
Senior bed woman problem pain headache home elderly mature pain bedroom upset unhappy female caucasian adult relationship retirement old difficulty ache head sick migraine hangover sleep – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Treating it as an ending
People can find themselves psychologically stranded. Days begin to blur into one another.
Retiring because everyone else is
For a generation raised to expect retirement at a certain age, default timing can feel normal.
The timing is personal.
Portrait of senior man at desktop computer in home office – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The mistake is retiring without questioning whether that timing actually fits your own life. It ignores your relationship with work, your health and your finances.
Agony Uncle
5 min read
What to do
- 1For some a gradual shift is best like working fewer days or changing role, slowing down.
- 2Experiment before you leave. Taking a sabbatical or reducing hours can show you how retirement might feel.
- 3Prioritise a small number of meaningful anchors: one regular commitment, one place where you feel known and one activity.
- 4Slow it down psychologically – question default timing, resist expectations and ask yourself what kind of transition you are actually stepping into.
Sir David Attenborough is estimated to have travelled almost two million miles in his career, and has visited 90 countries and all seven continents in his quest to enhance our understanding of nature (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)
SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
The national treasure has celebrated his centenary
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us, he has also shown us how to age well.
Here, Chief Features Writer Kasia Delgado looks into his lifestyle, and the tips he’s shared to live to 100.
Caption: Programme Name: Africa – TX: n/a – Episode: The Future (No. 6) – Embargoed for publication until: n/a – Picture Shows: SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH WITH A THREE MONTH OLD BLIND BLACK RHINO ??? LEWA WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY, KENYA – (C) BBC/David Chancellor – Photographer: David Chancellor
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LOREM IPSUM
Never retiring fully
Putting your feet up is all very well, but it’s very boring, isn’t it?
In the last two years alone, Attenborough has done voiceovers on a number of projects, including Wild London, and a National Geographic Disney film, Ocean.
Although his workload has remained high, he did acknowledge in 2017, that as he ages, he sometimes finds it harder to recall correct words as quickly as he did before.
Improving his diet
In his 90s, Attenborough has cut back on red meat, and begun eating an increasingly vegetarian diet.
Whether as he said, he “simply lost the taste” for meat, or whether it was an environmental or health reason, the NHS advises that eating a lot of red and processed meat increases your bowel cancer risk at any age.
Caption: Fox Cub BBC Wild London 2026 Attenborough Screenshot
Big Read
7 min read
Keeping active
Caption: Sir David Attenborough visits the London Wetland Centre in west London where he launched his new campaign to raise public awareness to help reverse the butterfly decline, urging the public to plant butterfly-friendly flowers in their garden to help reverse declining numbers of the insects.
Photographer: Stefan Rousseau
Provider: PA
Source: PA Archive
- Attenborough has previously said he has “never done exercise” in an official capacity.
- But he has kept active by going for walks in Richmond, where he lives.
- Interviewers who have been to his home have also mentioned him practically skipping down the stairs of his house.
TELEVISION
8 min read
Avoiding becoming isolated
When Sir David’s wife Jane died in 1997, the couple’s adult daughter Susan moved in with her father. He said at the time: “I’m quite used to solitude in the wilds but, no, an empty house is not what I enjoy.”
Caption: TELEVISION PROGRAMMES: THE QUEENS GREEN PLANET
Monday 16th April 2018 on ITV
Sir David Attenborough joins Her Majesty the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace
This unique, landmark documentary follows Her Majesty the Queen and an ambitious legacy project to create a global network of protected forests, spanning the 52 countries of the Commonwealth.
This project, called the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, brings together Her Majesty’s deeply held commitment to the Commonwealth and her little-known love of trees.
At the heart of the film is a conversation between the Queen and Sir David Attenborough filmed in the gardens of Buckingham Palace last summer. In a rare opportunity to see the Queen talking informally to Sir David, the conversation ranges from climate change, to conkers and birthday gifts.
The film follows members of the Royal Family involved so far in making the Queen?s Commonwealth Canopy a reality, including Prince Harry planting trees in the Caribbean, and Prince William and his family in Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest.
(c) ITN Productions
For further information please contact Peter Gray
0207 157 3046 peter.gray@itv.com
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Sir David Attenborough during the event marking his 100th birthday today at the Royal Albert Hall (Photo: BBC Studios Natural History Unit/Buckingham Palace)
He’s also been known to respond personally to fan letters and maintain relationships with people who admire him. He has no iPhone or email address and instead prefers to communicate by handwritten letter.
Appreciating small things
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living
Caption: Veteran broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough with an Australian bearded dragon after receiving an honorary degree from Queen’s University in Belfast for exceptional services to science and broadcasting.
Photographer: Paul Faith
Provider: PA
Source: PA Archive
Forget lifespan, everyone is focused on extending their healthspan: meaning, the number of years you live in good health
So what tiny tweaks can you make to your daily routine to extend a fulfilled life? Health writer Rosie Fitzmaurice tried some out.
The research
One year
Analysis from the University of Sydney found that getting an additional five minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and an additional half-serving of vegetables per day could lead to an extra year of life.
A decade
Getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night, more than 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day and following a healthy diet, were traits associated with almost a decade of additional lifespan.
Daily tweaks to make
Colorful Array of Mixed Beans – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Daily spoonful of beans
One large study found that an intake of 20g of legumes daily may reduce a person’s risk of dying in any given year by up to eight per cent.
Fibre at breakfast
Most people in the UK eat around 16–18g fibre a day but 30g is recommended.
Caption: Ro??ie Fitzmaurice – fibre maxing.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i news
Source: Teri Pengilley
(Photo: Carlos Gawronski/Getty).
Olive oil shots
One major study found those who ate the most olive oil (more than half a tablespoon a day) had a 19 per cent lower risk of death from any cause.
Daily tweaks to make
- 4There are benefits to eating an early dinner when we’re insulin sensitive and strolling afterwards to help digestion.
- 5Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity – rather than structured exercise -ccould reduce the risk of a heart attack.
- 6Strength training is still important and just 30 to 60 minutes each week is associated with a 10 to 20 per cent lower risk of death.
- 7Balance training improves neuromuscular co-ordination and proprioception, which are critical for preventing falls.
Rosie puts this to the test
Washing Garbanzon Beans – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
- She had a helping of beans daily and loaded her breakfast with nuts, seeds and berries.
- Fitzmaurice swapped butter for olive oil, had dinner two hours earlier (around 6pm) and did one-minute bursts of exercise throughout the day.
- She also practised her grip strength through dead hangs at the local park and brushed her teeth on one leg to improve balance.
The verdict
I can’t predict the future, but it’s true that making a few microtweaks to my weekly routine have had a surprisingly uplifting effect on my mood. As the world feels so utterly terrifying, taking control of the small things feels like therapy.
ROSIE FITZMAURICE, HEALTH JOURNALIST FOR THE i paper
Caption: Writer Ro??ie Fitzmaurice. Rosie Fitzmaurice
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i news
Source: Teri Pengilley
Is napping an
invaluable part of the day or an unproductive hour?
To find out how to feel better, brighter and bushy-tailed, we asked Russell Foster, a
professor of neuroscience at
the University of Oxford, everything you need to know about napping.
Naps before 1pm can lead to better cognitive performance in the following hours (Photo: Lord Henri Voton/Getty Images)
Caption: A mother and new born baby taking a nap together on the sofa in a quiet but tender moment.
Photographer: Jamie Garbutt
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Stone RF
Copyright: Jamie Garbutt
How long should we nap for?
For Professor Foster, the ideal length of a time for a nap is just 20 minutes and certainly no longer than 30.
“You don’t want to do is fall into deeper sleep, because then recovery from that can leave you groggy,” he says.
Is there an optimum time of day to nap?
Napping too late in the day is warned against.
- An early-afternoon nap of around 20 minutes can improve your cognition during the second half of the day.
- If you have a nap later on, you can push back your sleep pressure, which means the longer you’ve been awake the greater need for sleep, at night.
- As long as you’re getting the sleep that you need to function optimally, that’s the main thing.
Sleep tourism in hotel. Exhausted woman sleeps sweetly in bed in the morning – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
How much sleep does a person need?
Sleep is like a shoe: one size doesn’t fit all.
Oversleeping on days-off or sustaining your waking day with caffeine and other stimulants are signs of tiredness.
Not everybody needs eight hours of sleep; it’s variable, dynamic and individual. And will vary over a lifetime depending on the season.
Other things to know
It doesn’t matter where you physically nap as long as it feels right and you’re comfortable. You can create the right environment by making it dark, calm or using a smell like lavender.
‘I encourage anyone that is sleepy to take a good nap, guilt free,’ writes Zuva Seven (Photo: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty)
The drug is taken by one in five Americans under 14, but it is only available on prescription in the UK (Photo: ozgurcankaya/Getty)
Generally speaking, napping is probably a metric that you’re not getting the sleep you need at night, says Professor Foster. “But don’t beat yourself up over it. A short nap, if it improves the second half of the day, is fine”.
What is causing damp? And how to fix it
In addition to being generally unpleasant, living in a damp property can lead to structural and health issues if left unaddressed for long periods of time.
Read on to find out the industry expert advice on how to cut the risk of damp forming in your home…
Start with your windows
Don’t keep them closed.
Take time to rest (Photo: Counter/Getty/Digital Vision/Nicolas Hudak)
Regularly opening windows – even on cold days – can improve the ventilation inside and decrease the humidity of the room.
Also wipe away the condensation that has formed overnight with a microfiber cloth to remove the dampness.
Big Read
8 min read
How to reduce the risk of damp
Woman loading washing machine in the kitchen – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Dry clothes in the bathroom
Avoid drying clothes in bedrooms or living rooms without airflow.
Avoid curtains over radiators
It can trap heat behind the fabric, reduce room warmth and cause condensation on windows.
Central heating problem at home. Woman checking heating radiator in cold apartment – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Furniture assembly in new apartment – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Nudge your furniture
Large furniture items placed tightly against cold walls can trap condensation, leading to mould over time.
Caption: Berlin, Germany – January 20: Condensation has been reflected on a cold winter morning on an old double box window on January 20, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Photographer: Thomas Trutschel
Provider: Photothek via Getty Images
Source: Photothek
It could be the age of your home
Close to 90 per cent of UK homes with solid external walls lack insulation, making them vulnerable.
The airtight design of some new builds helps with energy efficiency but can trap moisture if ventilation isn’t properly managed, says Chad Bragg, chief technical officer at insulation company SuperFOIL.
How to reduce the risk of damp
Clear clothes out
Clothing that is packed too tightly in a wardrobe traps humidity, especially if it is slightly damp.
(Photo: Getty).
Caption: File photo dated 19/09/13 of a general view of a central heating thermostat. Households are set to learn their energy bills will fall by around 7% from April in a shake-up of costs after the Government promised they will receive an average ?150 cut. Latest predictions suggest Ofgem will reduce the energy price cap by ?117 to ?1,641 a year for a typical dual fuel household from April 1 when it makes its announcement on Wednesday. Issue date: Sunday February 22, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Photographer: Steve Parsons
Provider: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Source: PA
Heat strategically
If the heating in your home is reduced in temperature by just two degrees, humidity levels will increase by 10 per cent.
Keep lids on pans
While cooking it avoids releasing moisture into the air. A good cooker hood is most effective.
Protein doesn’t have to mean steak (Photo: 10’000 Hours/Getty Images/Digital Vision)
Planning for an extension?
Pay attention to insulation
(Photo: Pramote Polyamate/Getty).
Poor insulation creates ‘thermal bridges,’ or cold spots, where the new structure joins the old house. These cold junctions act as magnets for condensation, causing localised mould, heat loss, and discomfort.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
How to fake your way to being organised
Do you have your life together? Is your home tidy and clutter-free; your diary neatly colour-coded; your to-do list full of satisfying ticks?
If these questions feel like a personal attack don’t worry. We asked the put-together experts for their secrets.
Get to know your brain
The real magic is rarely in the system but in how your brain likes to work.
- If you love analytical tasks, try making spreadsheets.
- Set reminders for the things you usually forget.
- Use the Notes app for the ideas you think of in the shower but never remember when you get to do it.
- But if you are more likely to structure your day around how you’re feeling, a calendar isn’t the best option.
How to fake your way to organisation
Cropped image of senior woman putting car key in ignition lock – stock photo. (Photo: Kentaroo Tryman/ Getty)
Make it easier
If you hate folding, change your storage style. If you’re always forgetting your keys, put a sign by your door.
Make a launch pad
Keep a small tray or basket in the hallway for your can’t-leave-home-without essentials.
Two young children wearing school uniforms exit their front door – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Mid adult businesswoman using phone and laptop for work from home. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Use technology
After meetings use an AI tool to note down what you have to remember as a brain dump.
Create new habits
The one-touch rule
If you put your shoes straight on the rack as you take them off, instead of kicking them onto the floor and moving them later, that’s one touch. If you hang things up rather than tossing them onto the ‘bedroom chair’ it’s another one-touch win.
A woman with one foot is searching for an amputee to share shoes with – so her two bin bags full of unwanted right foot size six shoes don’t go to waste. (Photo: Emma Henson/ SWNS)
Full length of mid adult man doing chores in kitchen at home – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Talk to yourself out loud
This verbal anchor helps you remember what you have decided to do and cuts down on mental drift.
The 300-second challenge
Caption: Millennial black lady vacuuming floor while her husband watching TV, not helping her with household duties, cropped view. Unrecognizable young couple having problem with domestic chores
Photographer: Prostock-Studio
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
- Give yourself five minutes to deal with one overdue chore or task.
- Using seconds rather than minutes creates urgency and gives your brain a novelty hit.
- Try it when putting the laundry away, making a phone call or reading an overdue email.
LIFESTYLE
9 min read
Make it easier for yourself
Use completion cues
Drop a marble in a jar or move a sticky note across a board each time you complete a task.
To do list – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
It is the perfect time to enjoy an afternoon nap in your own home (Photo: Malte Mueller/Getty/fStop)
Support your future
Write down where you left off and the next small task to tackle to strengthen your control over every day demands.
Ask for help
Consider seeking support from loved ones, neighbours, colleagues, community groups or professionals.
‘Everyone who comes to see me assumes I am hard-up, so they either bring me gifts and treats, or if we go out together, they always insist on paying’ (Photo: Getty)
Eight tips for
combating loneliness
Ree Young, works for Mind mental health charity as a ‘befriender’ – this means working with people aged 50 and over in the city of Leeds – who may be struggling with social isolation or loneliness.
Young advises these people on how to get social, even when you don’t want to. Here are her tips.
How to combat loneliness
Social isolation affects us all
27%
of adults reported they felt lonely always, often or some of the time in data published by the Office for National Statistics in 2024.
7%
reported that they felt lonely always or often.
How to combat loneliness
Running might not seem like the most appealing hobby, but if you give it a try, you might be surprised (Photo: EMS-FORSTER-PRODUCTIONS/Getty/Digital Vision/ems-forster-productions)
Stay socially active
Check out what’s going on at your local community centre or learn something new to make connections.
Use technology
Look up old friends online, or use video-call features to connect with those who don’t live nearby.
FaceTiming on an iPad or iPhone is a simple method of video calling (Photo: Getty)
Woman learning to knit with friends in cafe – stock photo. (Photo: Compassionate Eye Foundation/David Oxberry/ Getty)
Get creative
Why not learn how to crochet, write short stories, plant a herb garden or play the ukulele in a group?
Adopt a pet
They can provide companionship, a listening ear and a structured routine. They can be good listeners and stroking them can make us feel calmer and more at ease. Even the smallest pets, like fish, can bring us joy and a sense of purpose.
REE YOUNG, BEFRIENDER
(Photo: fotostorm/Getty Images/E+)
How to tackle loneliness
Join a death cafe
They are safe and inclusive spaces for people to be curious about death in a supportive environment.
Portrait of senior male cafe owner at front counter – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Hay fever can be incredibly disruptive (Photo: Science Photo Library/Getty)
Try citizen science
It’s a great way to feel part of a community, while also contributing to worthwhile initiatives.
Explore your faith
Try attending services if spiritual practices are important to you. They can offer strong support networks and open doors to new people.
Caption: Richard Loynes, with the leaning church of Dry Doddington, Nottinghamshire, also known as St James Church. April 14, 2026. // England’s wonkiest church which has a spire which leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in vital need of ??100,000 repairs to save its future – but have refused to correct the angle of its famous tower. The spire of St James’ Church in the countryside village of Dry Doddington, Lincs., tilts at 5.1 degrees compared to the 3.99 degrees of its Italian counterpart over 1,000 miles away. Villagers consider the Grade II-listed building “Britain’s answer to The Leaning Tower of Pisa” but there are now concerns for its future as it is need of essential repairs. Tourists often travel to snap photos next to the historic tilting place of worship, which has now launched a fundraiser to raise another ??100,000 11 years after it underwent ??100,000 of renovation work to save its tower. The 12th century church was built originally as a ???Chapel of Ease??? for older residents to attend church rather than walking to a neighbouring village. The tower, dating from the 14th century, is believed to have first shifted in the late 19th century and was underpinned in 1918 to prevent it from tilting any further. Church warden Richard Loynes said: “The church is very much part of the village and we’re proud of its uniqueness.??? Photo released 15/04/2026
Photographer: Tom Maddick / SWNS
Provider: Tom Maddick / SWNS
Source: Tom Maddick / SWNS
Seek professional help
If you are unsure what support is available, speak to your GP. Research local charities and find out what services they have to offer, and try accessing local befriending, group or peer-support services.
There is nothing shameful about asking for help.
The Government must prioritise targeted investment in mental health services, preventative programmes to stop people’s health worsening – including public health funding across the North, a report said. (Photo: Alamy/PA)
Female psychiatrist discussing with mid adult woman during therapy session – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Before the widespread use of antibiotics in the 1940s, roughly 30 to 43 per cent of all deaths were caused by infections. A severed antibiotic supply line could lead to chaos in hospitals and painful decisions.
To understand the sheer scale of our modern reliance, consider this: the NHS dispenses more than 30 million antibiotic prescriptions a year.
Despite this, the UK has sleepwalked into a dangerous dependency on foreign supply chains to provide these drugs. Medications such as amoxicillin, penicillins and cephalosporins are entirely dependent on a fragile network anchored in Asia.
As a recent Coalition for a Prosperous America and Council on Geostrategy report, authored by Andrew Rechenberg, shows, the threat is not just from our import reliance, but also the highly concentrated structure of that reliance.
Today, China accounts for between 80 and 90 per cent of global active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) production for antibiotics, granting it near-total upstream dominance. Five of the world’s seven manufacturing sites for the essential ingredient in modern penicillins are located in China.
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing this week (Photo: Kenny Holston/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
The finished drugs follow a similar pattern. While the UK and its allies import vast quantities of these medicines from India, which along with China supplies more than 75 per cent of the European market, this only creates an illusion of resilience. A closer look reveals that the ability of the NHS to purchase finished antibiotics is entirely tied to Chinese inputs, as Beijing provides a staggering 91.3 per cent of India’s active ingredient imports.
This transforms a medical supply chain into a geopolitical weapon, giving Beijing immense leverage over Westminster, should it choose to use it.
If the UK were to cross China – such as defending Taiwan or allied interests in the Indo-Pacific, or restricting access to Chinese technology – it could quietly impose a ‘health blockade’. By simply squeezing India’s supply of active ingredients, China would starve Britain and others of finished drugs, likely sparking political panic.
We are already seeing the economic edge of this sword: recent allegations out of India accusing Chinese firms of dumping active antibiotic ingredients at artificially low prices highlight China’s desire to maintain its monopoly through aggressive pricing.
While short-term emergency stockpiling would offer a temporary buffer against such disruptions, true national security requires a structural solution. Re-establishing manufacturing takes foresight and investment, which is precisely why Westminster must act now, from a position of relative stability – rather than waiting for a crisis to force its hand.
Staff and students line up to receive antibiotics at the University of Kent after an outbreak of meningitis earlier this year (Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Fortunately, this is a manufactured vulnerability, and it can be undone through strategic policymaking. The UK and its European neighbours must move fully away from a ‘lowest cost’ procurement model, which punishes domestic producers, and instead align government purchasing to reward supply reliability. This may cost more, but by integrating antibiotic security into national and Nato readiness planning, we can guarantee long-term demand for allied manufacturing.
We must also invest together in essential infrastructure, such as capital-intensive fermentation and synthesis facilities, backed by financial incentives. To protect these from being undercut by subsidised Chinese dumping, Western nations should deploy targeted tariff-rate quotas to stabilise the market and create a predictable environment.
We already have the proof-of-concept that allied manufacturing can survive and scale. Drug company Sandoz’s Kundl facility in Austria is the only remaining fully integrated penicillin production base in either Europe or the United States and proves that large-scale penicillin manufacturing can be sustained at economically viable levels outside of China, if the right conditions are met. Kundl provides one in every two penicillin boxes in Europe.
Antibiotics are a strategic infrastructure and must be treated as such. Modern technologies and ammunition will always be vital for our defence, but so too is the health of the British public. As global tensions grow, the chokehold that China has over our supplies of antibiotics should be something that politicians are deeply worried about.
A nation can only project strength abroad if its citizens are secure, resilient and safely treated at home. Anything that can disrupt that is a national threat.
James Rogers is a co-founder and director of research at the Council on Geostrategy