Defence spending - openDemocracy

Anduril: Trump-linked US defence firm eyes UK military contracts

Drone maker Anduril is backed by Peter Thiel, counts Donald Trump Jr. as an investor, and is one of four firms selected for the MoD’s new “wingman” project

By Ethan Shone

/ 21 Aug 2026

Anduril: Trump-linked US defence firm eyes UK military contracts

Taxpayers paid to send MoD official to work for elite bank Rothschild & Co

The secondment, which comes as ministers court private finance, ended on same day we asked the government about it

By Ethan Shone

/ 13 Jan 2026

Taxpayers paid to send MoD official to work for elite bank Rothschild & Co

Labour’s defence review is rehashed, uninspired, and doomed to fail

Keir Starmer’s defence plan overlooks by far the biggest threat facing global security

By Paul Rogers

/ 6 Jun 2025

Labour’s defence review is rehashed, uninspired, and doomed to fail

How will Labour’s new desire to be the party of war shape British politics?

What’s the difference between the defence policies of Labour and Conservatives? Spoiler alert: there isn’t one

By Iain Overton

/ 3 Jul 2024

How will Labour’s new desire to be the party of war shape British politics?

What would a sensible security policy look like for the UK?

Research shows the public is most worried by domestic threats to the UK. Here's how we could tackle them

By Paul Rogers

/ 3 Jul 2024

What would a sensible security policy look like for the UK?

Expanding the UK military won’t tackle the biggest threat to security

The climate crisis is the greatest challenge facing all nations, and it won’t be solved by recruiting more reservists

By Paul Rogers

/ 19 Feb 2024

Expanding the UK military won’t tackle the biggest threat to security

Defence firm part-owned by Johnson’s £1m donor wins £80m MoD contract

Christopher Harborne is the largest single shareholder in QinetiQ, which announced a lucrative government deal this week

By Jim Fitzpatrick

/ 19 Jan 2023

Defence firm part-owned by Johnson’s £1m donor wins £80m MoD contract

Here’s how Liz Truss’s successor will try to win back Conservative voters

Opinion: Truss leaves behind a divided party trailing in the polls. But there’s one policy area it could seize on

By Paul Rogers

/ 20 Oct 2022

Here’s how Liz Truss’s successor will try to win back Conservative voters

Truss’s plan to hike defence funding and ignore the climate is a disaster

OPINION: The UK’s new prime minister is a market fundamentalist. The resulting crises could define her premiership

By Paul Rogers

/ 16 Sep 2022

Truss’s plan to hike defence funding and ignore the climate is a disaster

Michael Fallon and Ed Miliband are both wrong about Trident

Westminster's pro-nuclear consensus is held together by irrational speculation about future threats. Trident must be decommissioned for the sake of life on our planet.

By David Wearing

/ 10 Apr 2015

Will Prince Charles' "heartfelt interventions" extend to arms sales?

The Prince of Wales and his family have a shameful record of collusion with the British arms industry.

By Harry Blain

/ 10 Feb 2015