The UK must restore relations with Israel to help address gaps in Britain’s air defence capabilities, a former RAF chief has warned.
Air Vice-Marshal Philip Lester said there were “notable gaps” in the UK’s air defences that could be exploited by hostile states seeking to strike the British mainland.
He described Israel as a “valuable partner” in strengthening national security and urged the prime minister to show a “willingness to learn” from the Jewish state.
The intervention from the former senior RAF figure comes amid mounting concerns over the state of Britain’s Armed Forces.
Britain is facing greater threats, highlighted by an Iranian missile strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus last month.
At the same time, relations between the UK and Israel have deteriorated to a historic low. Sir Keir Starmer has not spoken to his Israeli counterpart since the UK recognised Palestinian statehood. The government has also suspended some arms export licences to Israel, while the IDF has been barred from the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Lester, who previously held a senior position at the college, made his remarks in a foreword to a new report by Labour Friends of Israel on strengthening UK air defences.
He wrote: “The UK faces a clear and pressing challenge. While it retains world-class capabilities in many areas, there are notable gaps in IAMD [integrated air and missile defence], counter-drone technologies and the rapid fielding of innovative systems.
“Addressing these gaps will require not only investment but also a willingness to learn from those who have already confronted similar threats.”
Reported first in the Telegraph, he went on, “Israel, with its unparalleled experience in defending against a spectrum of aerial threats, offers a valuable partner in this endeavour.
“Yet in recent years, this relationship has not always been leveraged to its full potential, particularly in the defence and security sphere. Re-energising the UK–Israel defence dialogue is therefore essential.”
His comments were echoed by the leader of the opposition, who argued that Labour must repair its “damaged” relationship with Israel in the interest of national security.
Kemi Badenoch said Britain needed to re-arm for a “21st-century war,” and Israel could act as an example in defending against missiles.
The Telegraph reported Badenoch saying: “Israel thinks 'how do we keep Israelis safe?' We should be thinking about how we keep British people safe, not as Keir Starmer does, 'how do we make sure the international courts think we're nice people?’”
She added that the “very close” relationship that existed between Israel and the previous Conservative government had been damaged by Labour's recognition of a Palestinian state before the release of all of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Concerns about the impact of that decision have also been raised by former officials.
Ameer Kotecha, a former senior figure at the British embassy in Tel Aviv, said the recognition of Palestine “would have felt to Hamas like a reward for terrorism,” and had damaged the UK’s relationship with Israel to the point that it risked undermining national security objectives.
He told the JC that the government has “shown no real desire to keep that relationship [with Israel] in a healthy place, and I fear have wilfully forgotten that relationship is really important for the UK’s national security, keeping Brits here in the UK safe.”
Speaking earlier in the week at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader said her party would engage in “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.
She criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war and said the UK needed to “reassert” itself as a global power.
She committed the Tories to “the largest net increase in British troops under any government since the second world war” if they returned to power at the next general election.
These warnings come against a broader backdrop of concern over defence spending. Funding for the military has declined over successive governments, and a 2024 inquiry by Parliament’s defence committee found that the UK had “inadequate domestic air and missile defence capabilities”.
The Labour government has said it is committed to spending 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2027, increasing to 3 per cent in the next parliament.
The last time spending on defence was above 3 per cent of GDP was in 1994 when John Major was prime minister.
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