Earlier this week, Danny Kruger offered one of the first glimpses of what a national security policy might look like under a Reform UK government. Building on the work that the party has done recently on public accountability and civil service reform, Kruger warned that defence and security policy had also fallen under the remit of unaccountable bureaucrats. Speaking at The Spectator’s National Security Summit, Kruger declared that his party would restore democratic leadership over this critical part of the state.
First, came the facts. With a good dose of realism, Kruger argued that Britain was no longer a great power and that the stability enjoyed under the ‘rules-based international order’ had given way to an era of increasing great power competition, shaped by the wills and actions of the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan. While Britain remained a ‘regional heavyweight’ with capabilities beyond its size, it could no longer credibly claim to have a seat at the top table.
Reform UK’s strategic objective would be to make Britain a great power once again
At the same time, fractures in the Western alliance of nations are emerging. Meanwhile, Britain’s adversaries are becoming better integrated both economically and militarily. Kruger warned that the level of coordination between the so-called ‘CRINK countries’ (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea) was increasingly sophisticated.
