Wes Streeting has used his Labour conference speech to deliver a forceful defence of Britain’s alliance with the US and call on the party’s left to stand unequivocally with Ukraine, as tensions over defence spending expose divisions within the governing movement.
The Defence Secretary was speaking in Liverpool following a suspected terrorist incident near RAF Fairford, where police and security services launched an investigation.
Streeting told delegates that the events had underscored the importance of the UK’s relationship with Washington.
“Given events, you will understand that,” he said.
“Before getting into my speech today, I want to say something about yesterday’s events around RAF Fairford.
“You’ll understand that there is a live police investigation, and I cannot provide much further detail than that which is reported.
“But I do want to say that our friendship with America is the closest alliance of any two nations on Earth, and we will always stand together against those who hate our freedom and those who wish us harm.”
Streeting praised the work of the security services, armed forces and police, saying the operation had provided only a glimpse of the work carried out “every day, around the clock and around the world” to protect Britain.
“To all of them, from all of us. Thank you,” he said.
The speech then turned to Ukraine, where Streeting made an explicit appeal for Labour to identify itself with Kyiv as Russia’s invasion continues.
His comments are likely to be read as a rebuke to sections of the Labour left that have criticised Nato’s role in the conflict, as well as to trade union voices questioning the scale of Britain’s defence spending.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said earlier that “quite enough” was already being spent on defence.
Streeting offered a sharply different message.
“I know whose side the labour movement should be on: theirs,” he said, referring to Ukrainians.
“When a Ukrainian nurse treats casualties under drone attack, I know whose side we should be on: hers.
“When Ukrainian children spend their nights in underground shelters because Russian missiles are overhead.
“I know where our solidarity belongs: with them.
“So to President Zelensky and our friends in Ukraine yesterday, today, tomorrow.
“We are with you for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini.”
Streeting also sought to confront the argument that increased military expenditure necessarily comes at the expense of public services, a debate that has become increasingly prominent as Labour weighs competing demands on the public finances.
“Now, I know that more spending on defence comes with choices and trade-offs, but our critics on the right need to understand that you do not make your country stronger by making our people poorer,” he said.
“And I also have to say directly to some of our critics on the left, you are not defending our public services by attacking investment in our national defences.”
Streeting invoked former Labour chancellor Denis Healey, who argued in 1969 that excessive reductions in defence spending could ultimately threaten the state’s ability to provide public services.
“As a Labour defence secretary called Mr Healey once said: once we cut defence expenditure to the extent where our security is imperilled, we have no houses, we have no hospitals, we have no schools, we have a heap of cinders,” Streeting said.
“Denis Healey was right in 1969 and another Mr Healey, called John, was right to demand more when he was defence secretary just this year.”
Streeting also confirmed plans to direct more defence contracts towards British companies, linking higher military investment to the domestic industrial base.
The speech placed defence firmly within Labour’s broader argument over national security, economic resilience and public spending — while making clear that Streeting intends to challenge opposition to increased military investment from both sides of the political spectrum.
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