Keir Starmer’s warning that the UK should not be at the mercy of events abroad is well made (The Iran war is a warning: Britain must build resilience – at home and with our allies in Europe, 9 April), but would carry more weight were he to level with the British public about the full breadth of the crises we face. It is extraordinary that nowhere in an article devoted to resilience did he find space to include the growing threat posed to the UK by the dramatic decline in the health of nature around the world. It is even more extraordinary – and, frankly, unforgivable – given that his own intelligence chiefs at the joint intelligence committee (JIC) have recently spelled it out for him in no uncertain terms.

In a report that the government shamefully sought first to suppress and then to redact, so that some of the most alarming warnings were removed, the JIC warned of “cascading risks” from the degradation of some of the planet’s most important ecosystems, including conflict, increased competition for resources and economic shocks. Six ecosystems “critical for UK national security” are all “on a pathway to collapse”, some potentially within five years – in other words, they face “irreversible loss of function beyond repair”. The UK’s heavy reliance on food and fertiliser imports means our food security is particularly at risk, threatening food shortages, higher prices and civil unrest.

The first step towards developing the resilience we urgently need is for ministers to start being honest with the British public about the nature of the risks we face. Second, we need to play our part in global efforts to address the nature and climate crises, including by reversing the cuts in climate finance and signing up to the global Tropical Forest Forever Facility.

Third, we need practical measures to diversify our food supply chains, with more incentives for domestic food production and plant-based diets. All of this should be in a climate and nature resilience plan, co-created with communities around the country. Only then would the prime minister’s claim that resilience is at the heart of his government’s approach have any credibility.
Caroline Lucas
Green party MP 2010-24

Keir Starmer’s list of crises that have caused our current national woes is intriguing. Covid and the Ukraine war we cannot be held responsible for, while Liz Truss is a national embarrassment all of our own making. The one that stands out is Brexit: a national mistake that it is within our power to reverse. With the US proving an increasingly unreliable ally and the data showing the appalling economic carnage caused by our decision to leave the EU, the tenth anniversary gives us the perfect opportunity to change our minds and begin the journey back to membership.
Molly Scott Cato
Former MEP and vice-chair of the European Movement

Finally, what many of us who want to see this government succeed have been waiting for: a strong, unifying political stance from the prime minister with real conviction that is clearly communicated to the public. More of this, and the type of direct comms approach taken by John Healey regarding Russian activity in the North Sea, helps to remind people daily of what the government is doing right. This is far more effective than getting drawn into reactive policy-setting on immigration, for example, where the agenda is set by Reform UK, which only feeds Nigel Farage more oxygen.
Dr Victor Ajuwon
Cambridge

Keir Starmer is right to describe this as a line-in-the-sand moment, but only with a concerted national effort can we build the sort of whole-of-society resilience to withstand the international shocks, the threats from climate change, and all the 89 risks that are found in the National Risk Register.

Every level of government, every organisation, every business large and small – indeed every household and individual – needs to play their part and have resilience and preparedness built into their fabric.

Only this will provide the necessary stable foundations on which future growth and prosperity can be built. But it will not be easy and it will need hard choices to be made. This requires public support and that is why “the national conversation” promised in the strategic defence review is so essential. This must now get underway, following the prime minister’s article, and then action will be needed at pace.
Toby Harris
Chair, National Preparedness Commission

When I worked at the government’s Office for Science and Technology two decades ago, we used foresight methodologies to anticipate future scenarios and map risks and uncertainties. Back then, globalisation was fully embraced and the world felt more optimistic than it does now. It was practically inconceivable to me that countries would retrench back to a more regionalised, fragmented and contested world. Keir Starmer’s sobering article reminded us that entrenchment is exactly where we are today. As geopolitics become more fractious, wars and conflicts on the rise, our global dependency comes into sharp relief; supply chains are broken and we shift from efficiency to resilience.

What Starmer must also acknowledge is that the now-inevitable climate crisis makes us hugely vulnerable. Global warming and extreme weather events are compromising our food and energy supply chains, as well as our national security. So when the PM talks about “investing heavily in the homegrown energy that can free us from the tyrants who manipulate gas prices” he worryingly omits vital words like green, sustainable and renewable. I fear that a further “sticking plaster” on the war in Iran (and let’s not forget Ukraine) will be new licensing for North Sea oil and gas. Be under no illusion: this will serve fossil fuel suppliers and their shareholders much more than it will serve Britain. We must build national resilience that is sustainable and equitable; resilience that has genuine, long-term economic and social benefits for us all. To that, I say “Yes, prime minister.”
Dr Tracey Elliott
Beckenham, Kent