Ninety years after Liberal leader Archibald Sinclair made the case that military weakness invited aggression, a new generation of liberals is talking about rearmament. At this year’s Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, on the same day that leader Sir Ed Davey delivered his viral ‘We care! We fight!’ moment, the party approved a new defence and security policy which, it hopes, demonstrates how far the party has come over the last decade. 

The party argues the plan provides ambitious targets for defence spending while reframing existing policies about the need for greater cooperation with allies through the lens of collective security. For a party best known for its stance on an issue of foreign policy – being anti-Brexit – the Lib Dems hope a stronger line on defence and security will help shore up the middle class vote, alongside its bolder economic policies, particularly in the south east.  

Foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller has said that ‘the global security landscape has reached a dangerous tipping point’ with the party identifying Russia, China and Donald Trump as the biggest destabilising forces. While Putin presents the most obvious challenge and the most unifying for the party, the Liberal Democrats argue that ‘China’s ambition to become the dominant global power’ creates ‘systemic vulnerabilities’, particularly around critical minerals and technology. US president Donald Trump, meanwhile, is an unreliable partner who undermines international institutions. 

For now, the Liberal Democrats are more bullish about their electoral prospects

For now, the Liberal Democrats are more bullish about their electoral prospects

These threats led to Liberal Democrat members approving the policy paper, which commits the party to the 3.5 per cent defence target of Nato by 2035 (including 1.5 per cent for additional security spending). While this matches Labour and Conservative policies, the party has an interim target of 3........

© The Spectator