Economists estimate extreme poverty could be drastically reduced for a fraction of global defence spending, yet military budgets continue to expand year on year, says JON TRICKETT MP, ahead of the Stop the War International Conference on Saturday
BORIS JOHNSON’S announcement that the Ministry of Defence will get £16.5 billion extra over the next four years — a 10 per cent increase in the arms budget — gives a simple message: the government would rather spend money on the possibility of a future war than the reality of our health and education.
If nurses are being offered no real pay rise after inflation but the money for rockets and bombs is going up, then the lesson is obvious.
The government thinks the “strength of the nation” is in fighter jets and tanks.
British military spending is among the highest in the world, diverts scarce resources from far better causes and fuels international conflict. It’s time we made different choices, argues LIZ PAYNE
While politicians fixate on defence budgets, the real answers lie in peace-building and economic justice, says ALAN SIMPSON
US General Stanley McChrystal has been invited to advise on creating a ‘team of teams’ for healthcare transformation. His credentials? He previously ran interrogation bases where Iraqis were stripped naked and beaten, reports SOLOMON HUGHES


