Overview
- The Defence Readiness Bill, trailed for early 2026, was reported Monday as pushed to mid‑2027 at the earliest and unlikely to appear in next month’s King’s Speech.
- The proposal would let ministers secure key supply chains, mobilise industry, and expand the reserves to shift the country to what officials call wartime readiness.
- Tan Dhesi, who chairs the Commons Defence Select Committee, said the Ministry of Defence must move "much, much faster," and Tory shadow James Cartlidge called the hold‑up "dither and delay."
- The government said the UK has the resources to keep people safe and pointed to rising defence spending, while declining to discuss the legislative timetable.
- Former defence secretary Ben Wallace warned the UK could not currently stop an Iranian missile, citing reported launches toward the US‑UK base on Diego Garcia as a sign of a tougher threat picture.