Rishi Sunak presses the reset on defence… and misses

In a long-awaited speech, the prime minister highlighted the existential threat posed by Russia, Iran, North Korea and China – but his awkward new term, the ‘axis of authoritarian states’, shows that this is not a battlefield on which our technocrat leader feels at home, says Joe Murphy

In his speech on national security, Rishi Sunak warned the world is now ‘closer to nuclear escalation than at any point since Cuban missile crisis’ (Getty Images)

True story: 11 years ago, one of David Cameron’s inner circle confided to me over a drink at 30,000ft that the then-prime minister had cracked the Putin problem.

Alone among European leaders, he understood that the Russian bear just wanted respect. Cameron had cosied up, and they were now bros. At one meeting, Putin flattered Cameron with a giant cake shaped like the Houses of Parliament. At another, Cameron even chucked aside his yellow briefing cards because the pair were getting on so well. A year later, Putin annexed Crimea.

Yes, this is all true. The current foreign secretary fell for Mr Novichok’s flummery just as Emmanuel Macron and others have done. Just as they convinced themselves the Chinese would be content to work all hours making cheap clothes and computers in return for our luxury cars.