Catch Up:Across the Red Line with Sophie Bolt

Posted: 21st August 2025

Anne McElvoy presents Across the Red Line, the programme where opposing voices meet, not just to debate, but to interrogate assumptions and listen across the divide. This episode tackles one of the biggest recent shifts in UK policy: defence spending. The Starmer government has announced an £8 billion increase in the military budget over two years, the largest in a generation. Defence is now set to become one of the fastest-growing areas of public spending, rivaling core services and outpacing inflation. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has framed the move as essential for national resilience, economic growth, and global stability. But is this surge in spending a necessary response to global threats, or a dangerous prioritisation of militarism over social investment? Joining Anne are Major General Jonathan Shaw former Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff, who supports the increase, and Sophie Bolt, General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, who strongly opposes it. Together, they explore the values, risks, and realities behind Britain’s new defence strategy.