Britain is not ready for war – and Labour isn’t doing enough episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 20, 2026 · 37 MIN

Britain is not ready for war – and Labour isn’t doing enough

from The Edition

Britain is defenceless, declares the Spectator's cover piece this week. From the size of the armed forces to protection against cyber warfare, the government is not spending fast enough to meet the UK's security challenges. But is the public ready to choose warfare over welfare? And can we blame the young people who don't want to fight for their country?For this week's Edition, host William Moore is joined by opinion editor Rupert Hawksley, columnist Matthew Parris, and Whitehall editor of the Financial Times Lucy Fisher. As well as meeting Britain's defence challenge, they discuss: whether the Mandelson scandal is bigger than the Profumo affair; the organised gangs terrorising rural farmers in the UK; and, why some people just can't get enough of conspiracy theories. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 20, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Britain is not ready for war – and Labour isn’t doing enough

0:00 37:51

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Edition?

This episode is 37 minutes long.

When was this The Edition episode published?

This episode was published on February 20, 2026.

Can I download this The Edition episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!