Badenoch rejects claim that £10bn insufficient for UK missile defence
Jon Kay is interviewing Badenoch.
He notes that the UK would require a missile defence system distinct from Israel’s, which mainly faces short‑range threats.
Badenoch stresses that the danger to the UK comes not only from missiles but also from drones.
Is £10bn sufficient to fund the system?
Badenoch insists it is feasible, proposing to spread the £10bn over a decade to safeguard the nation.
Badenoch pays tribute to Jeffrey Archer, recalling his supportive text sent hours before his death
Kemi Badenoch appears on BBC Breakfast.
The interview opens with a question about Archer’s passing; Badenoch notes she received a message from him just yesterday morning, in which he wrote: “Great outfit, great speech, no need to reply.”
She describes Archer as a “great communicator” and “great storyteller” who held conservative values.
Our article covers his death in detail.
Lib Dems warn that £10bn would yield only a ‘Patchwork Dome’ for the UK
The Liberal Democrats have labelled the Tory “Britannia Shield” proposal as “Truss‑style fantasy economics”, arguing that the £10bn budget would secure only a fragmented “Patchwork Dome”.
James MacCleary, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson, said:
Once again the Conservatives are indulging in Truss‑style fantasy economics. £10bn would barely make a dent in funding a comprehensive UK‑wide ‘Iron Dome’. They must either revisit their calculations or admit which regions would remain uncovered by their so‑called Patchwork Dome.
We should also remember that this is the party that weakened our armed forces over ten years and now seeks to plug the defence‑spending gap by cutting support for the poorest and most vulnerable children. Making families poorer does not enhance Britain’s security.
How the Conservatives envision the operation of their proposed ‘Britannia Shield’
This is what the Conservatives say about why the UK requires a “Britannia Shield” – their take on a UK‑style Iron Dome – and how it would function.
The announcement follows mounting concerns over missile and drone threats to the UK and its allies. Russia continues to barrage Ukraine with increasingly sophisticated drones and missiles, and was responsible for a drone strike on Leipzig airport in August. Iranian‑proxy drones have struck the RAF base in Cyprus, and when Iran launched missiles at the Chagos Islands earlier this year, the US provided interceptors. NATO allies, particularly the Baltic states, are experiencing a rise in drone incursions, and Western intelligence warns that Russia could attack a NATO member by 2030.
We inhabit an increasingly perilous and volatile world; threats to the UK and its allies are multiplying in scale and sophistication, yet Britain remains dangerously exposed. A defence select committee report from November 2025 noted that, unlike European allies who are pouring resources into integrated air and missile defence, the UK possesses “next to nothing” in this capability.
The Conservatives pledge to bridge this gap by allocating up to £10 billion over ten years, aiming to field a basic deployable capability during their first term and then use further investment to expand and reinforce the system.
The Britannia Shield concept comprises three core elements:
SENSE: New advanced radar systems to detect incoming missiles and drones.
DECIDE: Upgraded command and control systems to integrate information from across Britain’s defences and rapidly identify the most effective response.
EFFECT: New interceptor missiles, counter‑drone capabilities, and significantly larger missile stockpiles to defeat incoming threats.
Badenoch pushes for a UK version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence
Good morning. Kemi Badenoch is making the media rounds at the Conservative conference, outlining her vision for a UK‑based version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. The wording is not merely media spin; it appears verbatim in the party’s press release, which announces plans for a “new integrated air and missile defence system to protect Britain from attack – in essence, a British ‘Iron Dome’.”
Below are Badenoch’s remarks on the proposal.
The first duty of government is to defend the nation and keep its citizens safe – a test Labour is currently failing.
The world will not pause while Britain prepares. Conflict has returned to Europe, and missiles and drones are reshaping warfare in the Middle East. Inexpensive weapons can now endanger cities, military bases and critical infrastructure – scenarios that would have seemed like science fiction only a generation ago.
Should a missile or drone be launched at Britain, there will be no opportunity to lament a lack of preparation.
The Conservatives estimate the scheme will cost £1 billion per year over a decade, financed by the defence‑spending increase they unveiled last month – £10 billion annually – with roughly half of the funds sourced from reductions in housing benefit.
Below is the day’s schedule.
7:30 am: Kemi Badenoch kicks off a series of media interviews, beginning with BBC Breakfast.
9:45 am: The morning session of the Conservative party conference commences, featuring speeches from Katie Lam (shadow housing secretary), Laura Trott (shadow education secretary) at 10:30 am, and Rebecca Paul (shadow culture secretary) at noon.
2:00 pm: The afternoon session gets underway, with contributions from Alex Burghart (deputy leader), Tom Tugendhat (shadow foreign secretary), James Cartlidge (shadow defence secretary), and Helen Whately (shadow work and pensions secretary).
