Reform UK would increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030 and 3.5 per cent by 2035, Angus MacIntyre has said, warning that the war in Ukraine shows the dangers of allowing military capability to decline.
MacIntyre, who served as an officer with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, described the conflict as the most intense and brutal of his lifetime. He said the fighting had revived industrial warfare in Europe, with towns and cities devastated by sustained artillery bombardment.
With the war approaching its fifth year, he said Russia’s advances were fuelling Vladimir Putin’s ambitions rather than satisfying them. He cited Nigel Farage’s description of the Russian president as “a cornered rat – reckless, aggressive and unpredictable”.
MacIntyre argued that history showed dictators would not be deterred by acquiescence. In his view, any retreat by Ukraine’s frontline increased Putin’s appetite for further expansion, shaped by the legacy of the Soviet Union and Stalinist expansionism.
He acknowledged that Reform UK’s opponents had questioned the party’s commitment to defence. MacIntyre also referred to Nathan Gill, the party’s former Welsh leader, who he said was rightly jailed for taking bribes in return for pro-Russian interviews.
“I would not have given up a 40-year career in the military unless I knew Reform would put the British interest first,” he said.
MacIntyre said his first act in the role had been to launch a National Security Review. He said the review had classified Russia, Iran and China as fundamental threats to the West.
He called for a clear demonstration of strength in response to aggression, arguing that this was necessary to deter further attacks and protect national sovereignty.
MacIntyre said the Armed Forces had been “gutted” under successive Conservative and Labour governments. Reform’s proposed increase in defence spending would, he said, help rebuild depleted military stockpiles and restore Britain’s ability to sustain itself during a conflict.
“The threats facing this country are severe,” he said, adding that he and Farage would “never take a backwards step”.
