BYM criticises new defence review
‘This plan doesn’t make us safer.’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has criticised the UK government’s new Strategic Defence Review, saying it prepares the country for more war instead of investing in peace.
The review includes plans to build twelve nuclear-powered submarines and six new weapons factories. It also reiterates plans to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, aiming for three per cent by 2034.
BYM said on its website: ‘This focus on military expansion ignores the real causes of insecurity and will make the world more dangerous. Last year the government cut billions from the overseas aid budget, and measures to mitigate climate change are in retreat.’
In its submission to the Strategic Defence Review last year, BYM identified climate crisis and armed approaches to conflict as the greatest threats to global human security. It also criticised the review’s narrow focus, warning that global heating and the proliferation of nuclear weapons pose far greater existential risks.
BYM backs the Alternative Security Review, which promotes a broader vision of safety based on justice, sustainability, and international cooperation.
‘This plan doesn’t make us safer,’ said Oliver Robertson, BYM’s head of Witness and Worship. ‘It just fuels fear and violence. We need human security not more submarines.’
