Shapps Says UK Facing ‘Pre-War World’ and Can’t Risk Cutting Defence Spending

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said Britain is in a “pre-war world” and cannot afford to reduce spending on the military. In a major speech at Lancaster House in London, Mr. Shapps said the “peace dividend” that followed the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s was over. Mr. Shapps said: “Because the era of the peace dividend is over, in five years’ time we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.” “Ask yourself, looking at today’s conflicts across the world, is it more likely that that number grows or reduces? I suspect we all know the answer. It’s likely to grow,” he added....