Defence spending plans show a serious mismatch between what the government wants and what it can actually achieve

Editorial: Rather than spending astronomical sums on projecting British power in Asia, the government should devote resources to rebuilding the economy

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There was something delusional about the prime minister’s announcement to parliament of a substantial increase in British defence spending (widely trailed to the media in advance, of course, with the usual disrespect to the Commons).  

Boris Johnson spoke of Britain’s place in the world in almost Edwardian terms, as if there was still some vast British empire with its vital shipping lines to defend. It was as if the casual, harmless, meaningless label of “global Britain”, a palliative slogan to make people feel a bit more optimistic about the impending disaster of Brexit, was actually being taken seriously by her majesty’s government. Mr Johnson says he wants Britain to be the foremost naval power in Europe, presumably excluding Russia. He wants to dispatch aircraft carriers to the Gulf and the South China Sea. The RAF is to have a Space Command. Why? The rationale for devoting scarce resources to such projects is at best vague. It is, ironically, a dangerous moment.