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Quotes from Candice
“this is chickens coming home to roost, right? This is what people have been saying for years. The lack of foresight, the lack of spending on defence, the constant cuts.”
Candice Holdsworth argues that Britain's retreat from sustained military presence in the Middle East reflects years of inadequate defence spending and strategic short-sightedness. She contends that defending British nationals and interests abroad is a core government duty, whilst criticising wealthy Gulf states for under-investing in their own defence. She warns that Britain faces mounting global threats requiring urgent military preparedness and rebalanced government spending priorities.
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of NATO, despite what David Lammy seems to think, and therefore he's not part of collective defence and the state in the north is not recognised, but is effectively backed by Turkey, which is a member of NATO. But our British sovereign base is there. I have no idea why there are not permanently more anti-drone capacity there. Whether that's a question for the politicians or the military, I don't know. I have to say, I think it's a bit much for some of these Gulf states to say, oh, can you come and protect us? Why don't they
spend a bit more money on defence and a bit less on football teams in Europe? And you're asking British taxpayers to continue to spend money to defend some of the richest countries in the world? It's completely ridiculous. To defend British people and British bases. Oh, Candace. We should defend every British person everywhere in the world, we should say. I mean, that's just ludicrous. That is the duty of the British government. But Candace... To defend people in Dubai, influences in Dubai. Yes, absolutely. If our people are
being bombed with missiles and drones, it's the duty of the British government to defend them. Wherever that is in the world. But of course, Candace, this is a difficult situation because since 1980, up until this year, there has been at least one British naval vessel in the region. This year was the first year since 1980 that we didn't have an asset in the region. It seems like a massive, massive misstep. Yes, I think this is chickens coming home to roost, right? This is what people have been saying for years. The lack of foresight,
the lack of spending on defence, the constant cuts. I mean, when you look at what we spend in terms of defence and education, two things that I think most people would find really important compared to things like welfare spending. It's actually disgraceful. And this is the consequence of it. This is what happens. I mean, the fact of the matter is we're not on a holiday from history. There is a global conflict brewing. We're in a time of crisis. We have to be prepared for this. Well, Candace and Matthew, thanks so much for
talking through what is, I feel like, just the beginning of a very long discussion. We will be back with you, of course, at the top of the next hour. But thank you very much indeed.
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