Defence Secretary Grant Shapps Says "Peace Dividend Is Over"

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said 2024 will be a crucial year in which the UK and its allies must make a "stark choice" to defend themselves against growing international threats.

Shapps, who was appointed defence secretary in August last year, gave a speech to Lancaster House on Monday morning in which he declared the world was at the "dawn of this new era", moving from "a post-war to pre-war world".

He described 2024 as an "inflection point" in which Ukraine's fate "may well be decided" and nearly half of the world's population will go to the polls in elections.

"For the UK it must also be a moment to decide the future of our national defences," Shapps said, arguing that Britain still has the power to "influence world events" and must not "shrink down into ourselves".

Defending the UK's decision to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, he said the world had "sent a very clear message" that civilian lives and the global economy must not be under threat. 

"We could not have been clearer with our warnings, which they chose to ignore and enough was enough," Shapps said. 

He added that Government would "keep it under review" whether further strikes would be needed. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters on Monday that the UK's aim was to "restore stability back to the area" and when asked whether further action might be taken, said that the UK would "not hesitate" to ensure its national security.

Labour leader Keir Starmer told Sky News on Monday that while his party supported the government's military action against the Houthis, they now needed to hear the "scope, the basis, the full reasoning behind the decision," after parliament was bypassed in order to urgently carry out action late last week.

"The question of whether more