Conservative Party pledges £10bn ‘Britannia Shield’ air defence

The UK Conservative Party has unveiled a proposal for ‘Britannia Shield’, a £10 billion national air and missile defence network. Announced at the party conference in Birmingham, the plan aims to provide a multilayered defence system inspired by Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ to protect the United Kingdom, its sovereign territories, and overseas military bases.

The proposed system would be implemented over a decade, costing approximately £1 billion annually. It is designed to integrate advanced radar, command-and-control infrastructure, interceptor missiles, and counter-drone technologies to address modern threats from missiles and drones. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge framed the initiative as a necessary response to shifting warfare dynamics in Europe and the Middle East.

To fund the project, the Conservatives suggested reforms to welfare spending, including reinstating the two-child benefit cap and reforming housing benefits, as part of a broader commitment to reach 3% of GDP for defence spending by 2030. The Labour government has criticized the proposal, citing the Conservatives’ previous record on national defence.