Britain has a grand plan to defend against Putin. But two major new threats loom

The British military is investing in an “unmanned force” concept to defend against Russia, based on the Ukrainian model that is making major inroads in the battle against Vladimir Putin’s army. 

The Army will spend £500m on upgrading its drone fleet and operations as part of a defence package of up to £15bn over three years, due to be announced on Tuesday, which is heavy on the drones and Artificial Intelligence that are driving major changes in conflict around the world.

Funding of around £500m has also been announced for new commando forces, to be spent on all kinds of surface and underwater drones. Meanwhile, plans to build a new class of naval destroyer, codenamed the Type 83, have been ditched. Instead, the new plan opts for up to six hybrid amphibious assault ships – platforms to launch drones for land, air and sea combat, and to support attack and rescue helicopters.

Some forecasts suggest temperatures could begin to climb again as we enter July. Here is everything you need to know about another upcoming heatwave.

Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas,  the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low.

The UK just experienced it’s hottest June day on record with temperatures topping 36°C in some parts of the country. And while Britain has experienced hotter weather before, like the heatwave in July 2022, something about this one has felt particularly grim-humidity. But why does this make a difference? You can read Clare Wilson’s full article on The i Paper’s website. #heatwave #ukheatwave

The Government has said it will appoint a national maternity commissioner to drive change after a report concluded families have suffered from repeated failures in NHS care.

For too long women, babies and families have been failed by a system that didn’t listen. Their stories are heart-breaking and demand action.

But staff say many people treat their shops like a tip.

Here they share the most useful donations they get, and the
ones that drive them mad.

The quality of donations over the last year has diminished.

Claire Stockman, head of retail for St
Luke’s Hospice [pictured], says many donations include used items from fast fashion like Boohoo and Primark, which they cannot sell for more than £2, if at all.

of what comes into St Luke’s Hospice is unsellable, Stockman says.

She adds its soiled, damaged beyond
repair or smelly.

Harriet, a volunteer at Crisis in Dalston,
says people bring in clothes that are dirty and stained – things that they cannot sell
on Vinted.

She also sees dirty kitchenware and technology that no longer works.

There was a box donated after someone’s family had passed and in it were all these medals. I researched them and the whole collection ended up going for £2,340…

A good donation is anything new with tags on, anything that hasn’t been opened, or higher quality items.

Items that have been well looked after are more likely to sell and generate a better price for charity too.

Harriet adds that knick-knacks and wine glasses are surprise hits in her branch.

Here, psychologists, career consultants and sleep experts give their best advice on how
to beat the gloom that the
work week is looming…

Pave the way on Friday

Psychologist Maria-Teresa Daher-Cusack says to wrap up tasks and not to leave big or difficult things for Monday. And write a to-do list for the next week so you know what to expect when you return after the weekend.

Get outside early

Doctor Naheed Ali says getting out on a Sunday morning – not sleeping late – helps regulate the circadian rhythm that can become skewed over the weekend.

On Sunday spend time away from technology to allow yourself a personal reset away from doom scrolling.

Put yourself in the best position to rest by avoiding large meals, screens and caffeine.

If possible don’t stack your Mondays with high-pressure tasks.

Don’t just save joyful things for the weekend. On lunch breaks, try to do something you enjoy.

If the Sunday scaries are constant, listen to them. If every Sunday fills you with dread and nothing seems to quell it it’s worth asking if it’s the job, the culture or the career itself. No one should spend half their weekend bracing for impact… ” says Victoria McLean

But no country’s energy system is 100 per cent secure and large-scale blackouts, although rare, are possible.

Here’s how to prepare, and what could happen, if we do have a blackout.

If the UK’s power went down tomorrow, these are the ways it is likely to impact you first.

For EV owners that are already on the road, Professor Keith Bell, who works in electricity planning, recommends that those with an EV with reasonable charge use it as a generator, like your own store of electricity.

In the case of the power system going down, petrol isn’t a totally safe option as queues at petrol stations could be huge and places are likely to run out of fuel.

The longer the power takes to return the worse things are likely to get. In 2021 Storm Arwen physically damaged power lines across the UK.

During the 1977 New York blackout, which lasted 25 hours, there was civil unrest, resulting in widespread looting and arson, although intense heatwaves are thought to have exacerbated the situation.

To get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, but in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.

A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended.

The Government recommends opting for torches over candles, for safety reasons.

Using screens in a way that benefits your child’s development is key and balancing educational content and entertainment with offline activities ensures a well-rounded routine.

For younger children, try scavenger hunts, garden games and nature walks. For older ones, hikes
and biking trips.

Designated screen-free times helps children develop a routine that balances screen use with other activities.

It’s an excellent way
to bond and develop critical thinking skills.

Getting creative, through drawing, painting or model construction, enhances cognitive skills and offers an alternative to screens.

Arrange playdates or group activities with friends, or for older kids try an overnight camping trip in the garden.

Showing that you value offline time encourages your children to do the same.

Implement a reward system where screen time is earned through positive behaviour. 

Discuss the importance of balancing screen time with your children so they understand the reasons behind the rules.

Some studies suggest so.

These are the eight brain-boosting foods registered dietitian Fareeha Jay
recommends people consume as part of a weekly diet…

They contain several nutrients thought to support brain health, including choline, vitamin B12 and iodine.

Caffeine can reduce inflammation and
slow the degeneration
of brain cells.

It’s packed with antioxidants and high in vitamin K, which is essentially for healthy brain cells.

Your brain uses Omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells – so a diet rich in them may slow age-related mental decline.

These improve heart health markers, which is linked to a lower risk of neurological disorders.

They contain compounds which have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain, cognitive function, and memory.

There’s this assumption about being put out to pasture… but now that we’re living and working longer, we have to challenge myths around ageing and remember that over-50s are a crucial part of the workforce…

Yet more than a third of those between 50 and 69 believe that their age puts them at a disadvantage when they apply for jobs. 

The Age Without Limits study from 2024 shows that 37 per cent of workers between 51 to 70 felt badly treated in work because of their age.

We need the same level of career planning in
our fifties as our twenties. It’s possible to reinvent yourself again.

It’s nonsense that older people can’t pick up how to use new tech.

Do you need a pay rise? Could you trade some of that money you earn, to work a bit less, and do more things you enjoy?

Become full-time childcare

Grandparenting on the horizon? If you don’t want to do childcare, have the conversation early – even before a child becomes pregnant – that you plan to continue working and love your job.

Accept redundancy too quickly

It’s going to be so much harder to get back into work if you don’t have a plan before you take that leap.

Everybody thinks early retirement is the dream but the reality can be different. There can be loneliness, lack of purpose and a sense of invisibility. 

It represents a major sea change in the UK’s approach to military spending. Previous plans for an unmanned British force were nixed by the Treasury three years ago as being too expensive – and the UK has subsequently watched as Ukraine’s drones have devastated supply lines to a depth of 25 miles behind Russia’s front lines. Ukrainian forces have made the two main road routes across southern Ukraine beyond hazardous by targeting Russian trucks. Russian-occupied Crimea is all but stranded.

These attacks are being matched by the increase in the use of medium and long-range missiles against fuel dumps and factories in Russia itself.

This has led to fears that Putin may lash out and expand the war with hybrid activities – Latvia and Estonia are thought to be particularly vulnerable.

The UK, meanwhile, has been trialling its new Asgard AI-enabled targeting network system. It allows targets to be identified by a range of sensors, satellites drones and recce aircraft, and orders to be transmitted within seconds to “effectors” or “shooters” – anything from rocket artillery to howitzers, attack helicopters, drones, cruise missiles or bomber aircraft.

New funding will go into enhancing the system and moving it into full production. But money will also be spent on the new architecture of the fighting Army – depicted as the “20-40-40” plan by General Sir Roly Walker, its chief.

The 20 is the heavy equipment: tanks, artillery and carriers. The 40 is the new agile kit that turns the modern battle: aerial; drones, robot attack vehicles and carriers that are more dispensable and can be risked more easily. The remaining 40 is the mixed reserve and vital support forces.

The RAF is also expecting an uplift – notably a squadron of long-range F-35A Lightning II aircraft capable of dropping a tactical nuclear bomb, as well as more funding for the new Wedgetail EW early warning aircraft. It has three but wants five.

One item for the long term is guaranteed funding for the 6th generation combat aircraft, Tempest, which Britain shares with Italy and Japan. An extra £6bn is being earmarked for the next phase of development. The first prototype is due to fly next year, but more money is needed if it is to be ready by 2035.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis will announce the Defence Investment Plan later on Tuesday.

The critical boost has been welcomed by the Army and Navy, after some wrangling with the Treasury over the past ten days. It appears to be just in time and just enough, as they used to say in Japanese business management – more than the Armed Forces expected, but also less than they hoped for. They had been aiming for £18bn.

In many ways, the new plan has a touch of the quick and dirty about it. The services have got just about the minimum of what they wanted, but it is also clear the fight for defence funding is far from over.

Britain needs to present a fully funded plan for the modernisation and deployment of its forces when Nato heads of state meet in Ankara in just over a week. This will, in all probability, be Starmer’s last major appearance as Prime Minister on the international stage, though the funding has also been broadly agreed with Andy Burnham, his likely successor. It would have been embarrassing turning up with nothing yet agreed.

In many ways, the new funding plan is a two- to three-year plan, rather than a ten-year plan. This is a good thing, with the speed in which warfare is changing in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The whole future of defence, including nuclear weaponry, is likely to get a thorough going over in next year’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

But it’s fair to say that British forces are looking at a revolution in how we meet the complex challenges we are seeing today. There is a move away from being “joint forces” that work together on occasion, but have a separate culture and command, to becoming an “integrated force” led by one strategic command.

After continuous wrangling over a funding plan which was supposed to be ready ten months ago, the new Defence Investment Plan is a notable development. It sets us up for the future, but plans will need continuous revision and upgrade. New threats and challenges are already here: quantum computing and new biological and chemical weaponry, to name but two.

Now one funding round is sorted, the next will already be under discussion in some quarters.

And what of future funding? The ever-reliable rumour mill of the barrack room and sergeants mess has come up with one extraordinary but unconfirmed rumour. “We think Dan Jarvis will be replaced,” one insider said. “Burnham would likely want to send him north again, so he’ll put Rachel Reeves in as defence secretary. She’s always been going on about defence accounts, so now she can sort them herself.”