TORIES PLEDGE £10BN AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM CALLED BRITANNIA SHIELD

The Conservative Party has pledged to spend £10bn on a UK air defence system called the "Britannia Shield" if it wins the next general election, according to the party. The party said the system, modelled on Israel's air defence approach, would combine radar, command and control systems and interceptor missiles into a single network. Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge is due to describe it at the party conference in Birmingham as "the most significant upgrade to UK air defence for generations", the party said. The Conservatives said the system would be designed to protect critical national infrastructure, military bases and sovereign territories from advanced threats. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting rejected the proposal, saying the Conservatives had an "abysmal record" on defence during their time in government and "owe Britain an apology, not another lecture".

The party said the Britannia Shield would have three parts: new radar systems, upgraded command and control systems to combine information across UK defences, and new interceptor missiles alongside counter-drone capabilities. It said the design resembles the British Army's existing Sky Sabre system, which can intercept munitions and aircraft and was deployed to the Middle East this year during defensive action against Iranian attacks. The Conservatives cited a defence committee report from November, which said the UK lagged behind other European countries in planning to defend itself and its overseas territories. The party also pointed to warnings from Nato allies about repeated Russian drone incursions into their airspace.

Cartlidge is expected to say the £10bn programme would be one of Britain's most significant military investments since the Cold War, describing it as necessary given current threats, the party said. Streeting said the Conservatives had reduced the Army to its smallest size since Napoleon's era and left a £17bn gap in the UK's equipment plan, adding that former Conservative defence secretary Ben Wallace had previously said the Armed Forces had been "hollowed out and underfunded". No timetable has been confirmed for the system's rollout.