Civil Preparedness for War

Lord Bailey of Paddington Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Grand Committee

[Lord Bailey of Paddington (Con)]

My Lords, I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, for securing this timely debate.

The United Kingdom faces serious and growing security threats—Russia, Iran, China and North Korea—alongside non-state actors, criminal networks and terrorist organisations. Last year’s strategic defence review was right to say that we must engage wider society if we are to meet those threats and keep our country safe. That conclusion is becoming more and more urgent every day. An Ipsos poll conducted ahead of the review found that almost half of all Britons say that there are no circumstances under which they would be willing to take up arms for Britain. That is deeply troubling.

Sadly, it is not entirely surprising. For too long, British history has been denigrated, distorted and stripped of context. Too many people have been encouraged to feel ashamed of this country and their association with it, and they believe they should feel no pride in being seen as British. If people feel that way about their nation, it is no surprise that they are unprepared to defend that nation. As retired Army officer Tim Cross put it, we need to tell our young people that they are part of a nation and a society that needs them, including within our Armed Forces.

One practical answer to this is the cadets. As many of your Lordships will know, I am the proud holder of the office of honorary colonel of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers cadets, so I have seen personally the value that the cadet system can provide to the country. It builds confidence, discipline, resilience and public spirit, and a sense of belonging. This is good not only for the individual but for the country. I therefore welcome the review’s conclusion that reconnecting defence and society must be the cornerstone of home defence and resilience strategy.

In particular, I welcome the ambition to expand the cadet force by 30% by 2030, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 250,000 cadets alongside the education department. That matters because the cadet force helps young people understand the Armed Forces, gain skills and qualifications, and see a pathway into future service. Critically, it opens up opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds across the country. That supports both national resilience and economic growth.

But this cannot just be about numbers. As Michael Martins of the British Foreign Policy Group has argued, our defence strategy must engage the rest of society. That means building a compelling national narrative that wins public support, builds cross-party consensus and reminds people that national security is not the business of the Government alone but the business of this whole nation. That is the challenge we face.