Vigilante hackers and rogue merchant vessels are putting Britain on the back foot, while our opponents run rings around our current sanctions list. A broader legal definition of conflict would give Britain the flexibility to catch these rogue actors and keep Britain secure, says Robert Buckland

Earlier this week, the government released its Strategic Defence Review. It was unambitious, but it highlights something important – the world is getting more dangerous. Our ‘greatest ally’, the USA, is proving increasingly fickle, while our enemies in Russia and Iran develop new ways to undermine us. The law needs to wake up to this. We don’t just need new combat tools, we need new legal tools too.

Conflict is more than guns and bombs. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a wing of the Iranian Army, is cyberattacking British citizens. Russia uses a ‘vast malign online network’ to spread disinformation and undermine Britain’s vital support for Ukraine in their crusade against Russian despotism. Chinese spies have even been found in our corridors of power. These aren’t boots-on-the-ground invasions, but they’re........

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