Our own PM doesn’t seem to put British interests first, even though he’s supposed to be leading the country. He repeatedly places his own country’s interests second, making us subservient to his personal god, international law. So when British bases in Cyprus came under attack from Iran, his first instinct wasn’t to defend them. It was to reach for the rules book.
Nobody knows who might be called up, what the upper age limit would be, or what punishments would face those who refuse. Yet one issue has barely been raised. Why would anyone want to fight for an establishment that may stab them in the back afterwards? Because that’s what Britain does.
Right now, a staggering 242 Special Forces personnel are ensnared in endless human rights investigations, including more than 120 who are still serving.
This shameful hounding of our veterans focuses on operations in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Syria. Missions carried out in dangerous conditions against ruthless enemies are now being dissected years later by lawyers. US troops who served with Brits can’t believe it. They wouldn’t fight under those circumstances.
The Ministry of Defence is spending £1million a month on the legal costs linked to these investigations. That bill ultimately falls on taxpayers.
Some soldiers are suspects. Others are simply witnesses. Yet once legal notices arrive, they must comply or face tougher court orders. The pressure is intense. Veterans say two former colleagues have attempted suicide under the strain created by these endless legal battles.
Serving soldiers are watching this unfold in real time. Many of the 242 involved could still be deployed if tensions with Iran or Russia escalate. Incredible. British troops fought for their country. Years later, some are left fighting for their freedom, this time against slippery British lawyers.
Defence secretary John Healey said in December that Britain doesn’t need a draft, arguing that money would be better spent on ensuring the country has “great professional forces”. Persuading young men and women to sign up to those “great professional forces” becomes even harder if they believe their own government might leave them exposed to years of legal pursuit long after they left.
Britain asks extraordinary courage from those who serve in its armed forces. Any country serious about defence must ensure those people know their nation stands behind them.
Without that guarantee, talk of bigger forces or conscription rings hollow. A country that cannot protect its veterans will struggle to persuade the next generation to fight for it. And rightly so.