Kemi Badenoch promises £10 billion ‘Britannia Shield’ to protect UK from missile and drone attack

The UK is to be protected by an ‘Iron Dome’ defence designed to prevent air attack, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has promised.

Under the £10 billion system – which has been called ‘Britannia Shield’ – Army bases, nuclear sites, power plants and population centres will be protected from rockets and drones launched against Britain by its enemies, reports the Daily Mail.

There would be a network of command and control communication systems, radar, interceptors and anti-drone hardware – much like that already used by Israel.

The Conservatives argue the proposed system is needed because Labour has failed to spend the target 3 percent of GDP on defence, leaving the country open to attack by nations such as Iran and Russia, they argue.

This launch of the Pajohesh rocket shows how Iran is developing new weapons (Getty)

Mrs Badenoch said, “The world will not wait for Britain to get ready. War has returned to Europe. Missiles and drones are transforming warfare in the Middle East. Cheap weapons can now threaten cities, military bases and critical infrastructure in ways that would have sounded like science fiction a generation ago.

“If a missile or drone is launched at Britain, we do not get a second chance to wish we had prepared.

“That is why we are announcing Britannia Shield: a new national missile-and-drone defence system to protect the whole United Kingdom, our sovereign territories and British bases overseas.”

The promise made at the Conservative Party Conference being held in Birmingham this week, comes as tensions between Russia and the West continue to heighten.

The British Army has suffered under funding for years, say defence experts (Getty)

On Monday Russian drones targeted Moldova when projectiles from a Russian attack on Ukraine hit a bus carrying passengers across the border.

Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief said: “Europe has seen a spike in the Russian hybrid attacks and sabotage attempts and airspace violations in recent weeks.

“Russian missiles and drones violated Moldovan airspace again over the weekend. This is completely unacceptable.”

The Tories have promised to fund a £10 billion increase in defence spending each year they are in government through cuts to welfare – and believe the new shield could be operational within five years of a Conservative government.

The pledge follows a Commons defence committee found last year that Britain had ‘next to nothing’ when compared to other NATO countries when it came to air defence.

Getty Stock Photo

James Cartlidge, Tory defence spokesman, added: “With a £10 billion budget, this would be one of Britain's most significant military programmes since the Cold War.

“But one that is totally necessary because of the threats we face. And only possible because of our willingness to take the tough decisions to fund defence.”

A Labour spokesman said: “Andy Burnham's Labour government is delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. Keeping Britain safe is the first priority of this Government.”