Labour must not let others set the terms of the defence debate: we can ensure national and social security
HMS Queen Elizabeth passes below the Forth Bridge in 2025 (Iain Masterton/Alamy)
4 min read
Rosyth is where Britain builds its navy.
In and around my constituency sit a dockyard, defence firms, service families and veterans. For them, defence is not a seminar topic. It decides who gets posted where, which contracts get signed, and whether the next intake of apprentices has a job to go to.
When constituents raise security with me, they rarely talk about geopolitical strategy. They talk about what the war in Ukraine did to their energy bills, whether the local hospital could withstand a cyber-attack, and the pride a town takes in what it builds. That is the Labour way into this subject. It is why I am delighted to support the Labour Defence & Security Network (LDSN) as a parliamentary patron.
The stakes are rising. Russia’s war in Ukraine, conflict in Iran and a more transactional United States have made this the most uncertain world in a generation. Hostile states already test us below the threshold of war, through cyber-attacks, sabotage and disinformation. Yet defence is also one of Britain’s great industrial strengths. It supports around 270,000 skilled jobs, seven in 10 of them outside London and the South East, paying well above the national average and with strong union membership.
The case for the LDSN is straightforward. Defence and security have moved from the edge of our politics towards the centre. Yet Labour has too often arrived at these arguments late, once others have set the terms. We get told to choose between strong armed forces and decent public services, between hard power and international law, between military capability and a society resilient enough to withstand a shock. Those are false choices. Labour must have the confidence and knowledge to make that case.
The LDSN exists to help close that gap, bringing together Labour people with a link to defence and security, particularly MPs and their staff, councillors and colleagues in the devolved nations.
Defence and security have moved from the edge of our politics towards the centre
This is an opportunity for constructive debate across the Labour movement, rooted in our values and focused on developing practical, collaborative solutions to the security challenges Britain faces. The LDSN’s first pamphlet, published in September, brought together voices from trade unions, industry, academia and Parliament, reflecting the breadth of experience needed. Under the leadership of its co-chairs, Alessandra Barrow and Philippe Lefevre, I hope the LDSN can build on this foundation, helping shape an approach to national security informed by communities across the country, not just the Ministry of Defence.
National security is a responsibility we all share. Rather than simply telling people about the threats we face, we must help them understand what those challenges mean and how we can prepare together. The LDSN can help elected representatives understand defence and security in their own communities, connect them with expertise across the sector and build knowledge the wider Labour movement can draw upon. In doing so, we can broaden participation and develop solutions grounded in the experiences of those we represent.
I also want the LDSN to look different from the defence world as it usually appears. Too few women, and too few people from outside London, have a voice in these debates. Changing that will not be easy, but it is exactly why this work matters.
Security is the first duty of government. Labour’s job is to help define what security means in this decade, and explain it to the people we serve in our own words and on our own terms, not in the pages of someone else’s newspaper after the argument is over. I am proud to support those building a home for that conversation, and I hope colleagues across the party will join me.
Graeme Downie is Labour MP for Dunfermline and Dollar
