Event

Can the UK afford to fight a war?

This event hosted by UK think tank Chatham House assesses the post-budget outlook for Britain’s defence and security commitments.

In the aftermath of the UK Budget, this discussion examines what the government’s fiscal choices reveal about Britain’s capacity to meet its defence and security ambitions. With global threats intensifying—from Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine to rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific—the UK faces growing pressure to reconcile its strategic commitments with economic realities.

Panellists will assess how the Budget’s spending priorities affect the government’s ability to sustain its NATO obligations, modernize the armed forces, and respond to emerging security challenges. The conversation will also explore the political and economic trade-offs between fiscal restraint and defence preparedness, and what they mean for Britain’s credibility as a military and diplomatic power in an era of renewed great-power competition.

Speakers

Event chaired by Olivia O’Sullivan.

Olivia O’Sullivan – Director, UK in the World Programme

General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE – Senior Consulting Fellow, International Security Programme

Professor Jamie Gaskarth – Associate Fellow, UK in the World Programme

Deborah Haynes – Security and Defence Editor, Sky News

Max Warner – Senior Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies