Army chief Gen Sir Roly Walker says Britons will be asked to accept sacrifices for defence

Mixed · 2General Sir Roly Walker, head of the British Army, said in a speech to soldiers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire that political leaders will soon talk frankly with the public about the need for sacrifices for defence and security. 1 2 Mixed · 2Both outlets say the audience was about 700 soldiers. 1 2 Right · 1Walker told the troops: "You didn't know this, but our nation is going to need you," and said the country once did not want to think about needing soldiers to fight in a war. 1

Mixed · 2He said politicians would try to explain that citizens must consent to sacrifices to prioritise defence and security, and would ask them to play a part, which means backing the army "to take the fight to the enemy". 1 2 Left · 1According to Metro, he described the current geopolitical climate as a "very dangerous time" and said the "business of soldiering" is returning to public consciousness. 2 Left · 1Metro adds context: polling suggests up to half the population would not fight under any circumstances, though the same survey found more than half supportive of higher defence spending. 2

Left · 1Metro also reports that Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said crisis preparedness would involve civil society and emergency services, and that Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the Labour conference last month that defence spending brings 'choices and trade-offs' but that the country would not be made stronger by making citizens poorer. 2 Left · 1Metro says the Chancellor, John Healey, is due to set out defence spending plans in a budget on 28 October. 2 Right · 1The Express places the speech alongside Prime Minister Andy Burnham's meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street, where Burnham said UK support for Ukraine "will not change" and air defence missile deliveries would be accelerated, and alongside strains in US-Ukraine relations. 1