Andy Burnham will refresh Labour, but won’t change Britain’s statecraft. | Some thoughts from me on Labour/left statecraft questions as they relate to the incoming Burnham premiership. politicsandsecurity.substack.com/p/andy-burnh...

Andy Burnham will refresh Labour, but won’t change Britain’s statecraft

The Burnham premiership looks more likely to provide an opportunity for a Labour Party reset than it does a re-appraisal of national statecraft and strategy. But the two are intrinsically connected.

politicsandsecurity.substack.com

In case of interest, I recently wrote a short piece for @labourlist.bsky.social, explaining some of the reasons behind Labour’s “slow motion defence crisis”. @warstudieskcl.bsky.social labourlist.org/2026/06/keir...

'Keir Starmer's slow motion defence crisis' - LabourList

For a Prime Minister keen to frame national security as a core competence and part of his legacy, Starmer’s rhetoric has over-promised and the reality has been under-delivery.

labourlist.org

Farage is a likely target for foreign intelligence agencies; any leading politician would be. Hack-and-leak is definitely a thing. But Ciaran Martin is right: you need to evidence these claims. Is there not already an understood playbook for politicians when they suspect espionage?

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

Nigel Farage’s Russian hack claim ‘without any merit’, former NCSC chief says

Keir Starmer’s allies have argued that foreign policy is a reason for him to stay. But he cannot now provide the stable leadership that effective foreign policy, like anything else, requires. With thanks to Emma Burnell for publishing at Labour List. labourlist.org/2026/05/fore...

'Foreign policy is not a reason to keep Keir Starmer in No.10' - LabourList

However it is done, searching for a new leader is the smarter foreign policy move than labouring under the dead weight of Starmer’s endgame.

labourlist.org

The case I made on @BBCr4today at 0720 was this. The disclosure of all documents and messages relating to the Mandelson appointment is vital. But the ISC requirement here goes much wider and (perhaps inadvertently) risks collateral damage to UK diplomacy. isc.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/u...

This commentary rightly highlights the fluidity of national identities: they are contested, reshaped over time. The debate about defining Britishness as a national identity is also complex as the UK is a pluri-national state, & with many overlapping factors shaping personal identity experiences.

The New Statesman@newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Jeevun Sandher MP: Matt Goodwin isn't very British Britain’s finest hour was a fundamental rejection of petty ethnonationalism. Reform should remember that

This by @georgeeaton.bsky.social neatly summarises the Green Party’s NATO own goal. I wonder why they’ve persisted for so long with a stance more extreme, unworkable & presumably off-putting-to-voters, than they needed to in cementing the left-of-Labour vote. www.newstatesman.com/politics/gre...

The Greens’ defence problem

Why Zack Polanski will have to abandon his opposition to Nato

newstatesman.com

The green industrial revolution is coming 🖊️ Mariana Mazzucato and Anna Hope Emerson

The green industrial revolution is coming

But the government must make sure local communities feel the benefit

newstatesman.com

This is an interesting essay. I think two things missing are (1) assessment of international security risks posed by China and (2) the continuing importance of hard power, notwithstanding the value of pursuing broad multilateral and normative diplomacy.

The New Statesman@newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 6mo ago

China is Britain's future, writes James Schneider. Keir Starmer’s trip should be the dawn of a new era.

Corbyn: “An independent foreign policy is one that understands all of the challenges we face: global inequality, displacement and environmental disaster.” Are they really *all* the UK’s challenges? And there’s an implicit assumption, I think, that greater moral clarity is enough to achieve outcomes.

The New Statesman@newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Jeremy Corbyn: Britain needs its own foreign policy, not America's

Good @nytimes.com story about recent US use of cyber capabilities as part of integrated operations, particularly noteworthy emphasis on complementarity and the challenge of building a cyber force. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...

How Computer Warfare Is Becoming Part of the Pentagon’s Arsenal

nytimes.com

This is a persuasive case. I also think liberal democracies need to adopt a pro-active, aggressive threat-hunting approach to identifying and extirpating influence/information operations by hostile state actors. You could call it a campaigning, persistent engagement approach.

John Denham@jydenham.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Strategic autonomy is a patriotic and democratic opportunity to realign liberal democratic and progressive politics with Europe’s people. buff.ly/Aiz4uBp

If done well, and properly resourced, this could improve UK counter-cybercrime efforts.

Alexander Martin@alexmartin.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The UK government on Monday unveiled plans for a far-reaching overhaul of policing that would centralize the fight against cybercrime, fraud and other internet-enabled offenses, arguing the current system is no longer equipped for crimes that are increasingly digital and cross geographic borders.

There’s a good case for a bicameral system leading to more considered legislation. If the elected first chamber employs a legitimacy argument against the unelected second, there’s an obvious solution that a government with a commanding majority could decide to pursue. What might it be?

Jim McMahon MP@jimmcmahon.co.uk · 6mo ago

I don’t support the Assisted Dying Bill and voted against it, but it is not right for the unelected chamber to block the commons.

I think much of what this oped advocates could be achieved without leaving NATO, and that leaving NATO would make the UK’s current situation worse. But its arguments about the need for the UK to reduce reliance on the US are fair.

The New Statesman@newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 7mo ago

The special relationship is dead, by James Schneider

Worth separating the fact that it could well be smart politics domestically for Polanski to secure this NS oped today, harnessing anti-Trump sentiment as Starmer tries to walk a tight rope, & that some of his arguments (unilateral abolition of nuclear deterrent), are much less smart for UK strategy.

The New Statesman@newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Zack Polanski: Trump's threat to Greenland must be a wake up call for Britain

Definitely worth reading this alongside listening to @thegrugq.bsky.social & Tom Uren’s recent discussion of the same topic - role of cyber capabilities in the Venezuela raid. Top line: cyber operations contributed, that wasn’t surprising, & shouldn’t be the main takeaway from the raid.

RUSI@rusi.bsky.social · 7mo ago

'Most governments do not disclose offensive cyber operations. Boasting about capabilities is not the usual game' writes @lmhurel.bsky.social in the latest RUSI Commentary.

I think, if you are under fire for lots of U-turns, you should reflect before you repeatedly use the phrase “we are turning the country around.” And around. And around.

This is persuasive, both re: the U-turns and also in the other recent stories about different policy/strategy views emerging in the leadership challenge conversations, and new initiatives to foster intellectual debates across the party. They all highlight the shortcomings of the current centre.

George Eaton@georgeeaton.bsky.social · 7mo ago

The problem with Labour’s U-turns: rather than showing flexibility they have too often reflected incoherence. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

This is a good report about Iranian government efforts to control internet access, including the most recent and most severe cut off during the current protests.

Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 7mo ago

The regime has attempted to cut off internet access to the outside world but pictures and videos are still emerging, with activists trying to get information out of Iran and help galvanise the protests. ft.trib.al/v1xIsij

And you need for your MPs to not be increasingly of the view that you yourself are, in fact, a barnacle.

Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Unfortunately to make this strategy work you need a boat.

This is an interesting analysis of how treaty commitments would shape NATO member states’ responses to a US attack on Denmark. I wonder about the likelihood of a different scenario - not an attack but a declared fait accompli - and what the response of Denmark’s allies would be in practice.

Mike Schmitt@mikeschmitt.bsky.social · 7mo ago

My thoughts on whether NATO Allies would be obligated to come to Denmark's assistance if (I can't believe I am saying this) the United States were to attack. Answer: Yes.

This is a good report on the latest details about the emerging UK government cyber security refresh, with good expert comments too. The language is positive, but I think Jamie sounds the right note of scepticism in his quoted remarks.

Alexander Martin@alexmartin.bsky.social · 7mo ago

In an unusually candid admission, the British government acknowledged that its years-long approach to its own cybersecurity was flawed and warned it will be impossible to meet a previous target of securing all government organizations from known cyber vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030.

Nothing says Christmas week like sitting down to read about the ghosts of cybersecurity strategies past, present, and yet to come. With thanks to @lawfaremedia.org for publishing.

Lawfare@lawfaremedia.org · 8mo ago

The U.K. is expected to announce its new cybersecurity strategy before the end of the year. @joedevanny.bsky.social takes stock of previous efforts to improve cybersecurity and assesses the largest cyber challenges facing the U.K. government. lawfaremedia.org/article/the-u.k.-s-cybersecurity-refresh

Two more examples: shielded Jonathan Powell from all but one begrudging private JCNSS meeting (no good reason not to appear, it’s just because he can); & recent ISC report indicates its budget/staff/remit could/should be better. Quick wins for a government serious about doing scrutiny better.

John Rentoul@rentouljohn.bsky.social · 8mo ago

It’s beginning to look a lot like this government is afraid of scrutiny www.independent.co.uk/voices/labou...

The big aid cut was always going to have international security implications, once decisions started to be made about where it fell. Is this the first reported impact on the UK’s international cyber priorities too?

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 8mo ago

UK aid cuts take 40% from funds to counter Russian threat in western Balkans

Exclusive: The UK's elections watchdog says it's taken three years and at least a quarter of a million pounds to fully recover from a hack that saw the private details of 40m voters accessed by Chinese cyber spies. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Latest News Picks - Elections watchdog: Three years to recover from hack - BBC Sounds

Chinese cyber spies targeted the Electoral Commission, accessing UK voters' details.

bbc.co.uk

RUSI @rusi.bsky.social invited experts to discuss strengthening UK cyber defences ahead of the new cyber strategy. Dr @joedevanny.bsky.social emphasises doing more with existing resources through strategic collaboration across government, industry & international partners. 🔗Read: bit.ly/423GwQT

Dr Joe Devanny (@joedevanny.bsky.social) explains that "using #foreignfighters is a way for #Russia to increase numbers while mitigating the domestic costs of the war." However, he adds that many have been recruited through coercion and false promises. 🔗Read more: bit.ly/4mR1eeL #UkraineWar