It’s all very well for Andy Burnham and John Healey to say they want to fund defence, but are they aware of just what a perilous situation the Royal Navy is in? Policy failure by successive governments, more focused on election appeal than security, means the state has lost sight of the basics. Ensuring the free movement of global shipping has been a priority for centuries because Britain cannot produce enough food, fuel or raw materials for itself. Along with the nuclear deterrence, shipping routes form the existential core of our national security. These routes – vital in world wars against Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler – depended on a powerful, globally deployed navy. The current force is not up to the task.

The place of the ocean in national life and culture has also declined. Seafaring roles and shipbuilding have been outsourced. Essential ships are registered by nations without warships, or even a coast. In the past, the connection between a powerful navy, the interests of the City of London and the economic health of the nation was acknowledged by governments of all parties, and managed by the Admiralty, a great department of state located not 100 yards from Nelson’s Column. The Admiralty built, maintained, crewed and directed the navy in war and peace, stood up to the Treasury and co-ordinated with the War Office on strategy. It worked with Lloyd’s of London to manage wartime convoy systems from the 18th century to 1945, securing ocean trade and destroying hostile economies.

After 1964, British strategy was no longer shaped by the realities of geography and........

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