Former UK civil service chief calls Xi Jinping a ‘dictator' over plans to reunify Taiwan
Simon Case, who served as cabinet secretary until December when he stepped down on health grounds, said China had sent a clear message to 'prepare for serious conflict' in Taiwan.
The UK has committed to spend the equivalent of 2.6% of GDP in 2027, and it and other Nato members have signed up to increasing spending to 5% by 2035 on militaries and related security.
The increased defence spending came after years of Trump raising questions over the future of the Nato alliance – and whether the US would come to allies' defence – if other countries did not increase spending.
Case argued for the UK and Europe to increase the pace of increased defence spending. He was speaking at an event in London paid for by Britain's biggest weapons maker, BAE Systems. The manufacturer of artillery, fighter jets and nuclear submarines is expected to be one of the biggest corporate beneficiaries of increased spending on weaponry.
Case said: 'There's some actually quite helpful pressure, if you ask me – [this is a] slightly unpopular view – from the White House about us pulling our fingers out in Europe and actually stepping up to the plate on our defence spending.
'But the reason that matters is because President Xi has publicly set out his timetable for, as he would put it, reunifying Taiwan. We're incredibly bad at reading what dictators say in public. We spend millions of pounds on secret intelligence, which is absolutely amazing, but we're really bad at missing what they actually say in public, which is, this is the timetable at which I want everybody to be ready for us to prepare for serious conflict.'
Xi exercises near absolute power in China, but the country has strongly objected to the use of the label 'dictator', including by the former US president Joe Biden. The UK's recent strategic defence review highlighted Chinese military exercises around Taiwan as a driver of global instability.
Case also raised the threat of Russia starting further conflicts in Europe, beyond Ukraine.
In February Case took over as chair of the government-funded 'Team Barrow', which is described as a 'partnership between the government, Westmorland and Furness council, and BAE Systems' to support the local economy, which is heavily dependent on BAE's nuclear submarine shipyard.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
8 minutes ago
- Reuters
Asian shares tick up ahead of US payrolls test; Trump's tax bill in focus
SYDNEY, July 3 (Reuters) - Asian shares edged higher on Thursday as investors braced for a key U.S. jobs report that may justify imminent rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and waited on the passage of a massive U.S. tax and spending bill in Congress. Wall Street climbed overnight to close at new record highs after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. has struck a trade deal with Vietnam, including a 20% tariff on exports to the U.S. That fuelled hopes that more deals will be forthcoming, with negotiations underway for a trade agreement with India. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab advanced 0.2% to hover just below a near four-year top. Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab was flat. China's blue chips (.CSI300), opens new tab edged up 0.2%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index (.HSI), opens new tab fell 0.6% after data showed China's services activity expanded at the slowest pace in nine months in June. Both Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures were little changed in Asia Investors were waiting for Trump's massive tax and spending bill to pass the House of Representatives for possible final approval. The bill is expected to add $3.3 trillion to the national debt, slash taxes and reduce social safety net programs. The main risk event for markets will be the U.S. payrolls figures due later in the day. Analysts are forecasting a rise of 110,000 in June with the jobless rate ticking up to 4.3% but the stakes are high after a private sector payrolls report surprised with the first fall in over two years. The resilience of the labour market is a major reason the majority of Federal Reserve members say they can afford to hold off on cutting rates until they can gauge the real impact of tariffs on inflation. "These labour market indicators warn of the risk that the unemployment rate could spike to 4.4%, the highest since October 2021," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. "This would quickly increase the probability of a July Fed rate cut to around 70%." Futures imply just a 25% probability for a rate cut this month from the Fed, which has not eased policy at all this year, drawing the ire of Trump who reiterated his call on Wednesday for Chair Jerome Powell to resign. The Treasuries market was tense before the data as a weak jobs report would send yields sharply lower. Ten-year Treasury bond yield slipped 2 basis points to 4.265% on Thursday, while two-year yields eased 2 bps to 3.77%. The dollar is again under pressure, having caught some relief overnight. Concerns about the Fed's independence in the wake of Trump's criticism have driven the dollar to its lowest against its peers in over three years. Trump, who said rates should be cut to 1% from the current Fed benchmark rate of 4.25% to 4.50%, has repeatedly railed against Powell for not lowering borrowing costs since his return to the White House in January. The euro inched up 0.1% to $1.1807, just a whisker away from a nearly four-year top of $1.1829 hit on Tuesday, while sterling added 0.1%, recovering a steep 0.8% fall overnight, as fears about the future of its finance minister Rachel Reeves eased. Investor anxiety over UK finances after the British government's reversal on welfare reforms caused gilt yields to jump overnight, up nearly 23 basis points at one point, the most since October 2022. In commodities markets, oil prices were slightly lower after jumping 3% overnight as Iran suspended cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. U.S. crude futures slipped 0.4% to $67.20 a barrel while Brent was at $68.84 per barrel, also 0.4% lower on the day. Gold prices eased 0.4% to $3,342 an ounce.
Times
22 minutes ago
- Times
From the archive: Democracy in action at Oxford
From The Times: July 3, 1925 Polling took place at Oxford yesterday for the election of a new Chancellor of the University to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Lord Curzon of Kedleston. The candidates were Lord Cave (the Lord Chancellor) and Lord Oxford and Asquith. There is a quaint medieval flavour about voting for a Chancellor, and Oxford — not always successful in the management of its ceremonies — had staged the drama well. The Divinity School and the inside of the Sheldonian are a good setting for any play, and gave an impressiveness which is conspicuously absent from the ordinary polling booth. Proceedings opened early: from a quarter to 9 this morning the bell of the University Church rang for its accustomed half-hour to summon members to a meeting of Convocation — for such the assembly technically is. Already at 9.15 there was a fair gathering of voters, mostly residents, but with a mixture of MAs 'from the country', including at least one Cabinet Minister, even at that early hour. Outside the Divinity School were stationed College porters with a supply of gowns, ready to be borrowed. Duly clad, the voter entered the Divinity School and found his voting-paper ready to be filled up. To one accustomed to the secrecy of the ballot it was something of a shock to find that his first duty was to write his own name, but the shock was mitigated by the unique pleasure of delivering his vote in Latin. 'Ego … e Coll. nomino …': there is something splendid in the formula, which for all its old-world ring seems to lay a wonderfully democratic emphasis on the importance of the individual vote. The voter now advances across the quadrangle and enters the great door of the Sheldonian. There he finds the Vice-Chancellor and the Proctors seated in all their majesty at small tables with bedels surrounding them leaning on 'pokers' erect. The Vice-Chancellor receives the vote with a gracious bow, looks at it, and hands it to the Asquithian or Caveite Proctor, and the deed is done. After the close of the poll at 8.30 the result was known as follows: Lord Cave, 987. Lord Oxford and Asquith, 441. Explore 200 years of history as it appeared in the pages of The Times, from 1785 to 1985:
Times
22 minutes ago
- Times
The Times letters: Starmer, leadership and the U-turn on welfare
Write to letters@ Sir, Your leading article ('Abject Surrender', Jul 2) outlines very well the vagaries and indecisiveness of our prime minister. You say he has shown how incapable he is of reining in the state and public finances. Further to this it has been widely claimed that he is losing authority. I, and I think many others, would question whether he had any credibility and authority in the first place. Sir Keir Starmer's U-turns and false promises simply make the electorate wonder who is in charge. A leader should lead and if he caves in to 50-odd rebel MPs, as he has done on welfare reform, then what hope is there for the country? Add to this the fact that record illegal immigration is costing the country a fortune and that the government appears to have no plans to tackle it. We lack leaders with substance, clout and an 'action this day' GrundyHartley Wintney, Hants Sir, William Hague is quite right to argue that the prime minister has failed dismally during his first year in office to outline the overarching purpose of his government, let alone offer a vision that is inspiring or even reassuring ('What's Starmer's big idea? He needs to tell us', comment, Jul 1). This should come as no great surprise, however. Even before the general election it was clear that Labour did not have a coherent plan about anything, whether for the economy, education, defence or stopping migrant boats. Having failed to prepare for the realities of power, the party has lurched from one ill-thought-out decision to another, frequently changing tack, in a desperate attempt to mollify everyone. All this does is satisfy no one and that is precisely where we are, 12 months in. Seemingly standing for nothing, always looking for scapegoats and all the while communicating poorly are a recipe for disillusionment and MortimerPerth Sir, Polly Mackenzie says that what is needed is 'a fundamental reset of the prime minister's office' ('Starmer's lost power of political speech', Jul 2). I suggest also that the prime minister needs to be able to rely on a trusted colleague to give him advice, perhaps someone without ambition who has served at the top rank of politics. There must be plenty of candidates to choose from. Margaret Thatcher relied on Willie Whitelaw — 'Everyone needs a Willie' — and his advice proved BenyonBladon, Oxon Sir, Time and again, Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves justify their actions mainly by saying they are doing 'the right thing'. This continual failure to give wider reasons leaves them exposed when they have to make a U-turn. Has the right thing suddenly become the wrong thing? Has the wrong thing suddenly become the right thing?Peter ClarkLondon SE23 Sir, Dr Karin Englehart (letter, Jul 1) should rest assured that nothing has changed since she was denied the post of a medical assessor because she suggested that a benefit claimant's account should not necessarily be taken at face value. Whenever I expressed a doubt that a patient would be granted a benefit, I was assured that they would be guided in how to do so Surinder Bakhshi (ret'd) Birmingham Sir, Regarding Martha's Rule and the training of doctors (letters, Jul 1 & 2), fellow physicians would often consult my father on cases. His skill as a diagnostician was a source of amusement to our family. He would state mysteriously that the person on the table next to us at a restaurant had a particularly interesting condition. Late in his life, I asked him how he became so good at diagnosis. He told me he had studied hard as a medical student and with no immediate family to return home to, would stay behind during holidays and tour hospital wards to extend his education. He would talk to patients, ask to read their notes and discuss with fellow staff. I doubt such access to patients would be allowed HerseeGreat Missenden, Bucks Sir, Dr Rosemary Alexander seems to have forgotten that Martha's Rule was enacted because doctors, not physician associates, made an incorrect diagnosis, gave a wrong interpretation of facts, missed serious problems and then refused help from medical colleagues. Physician associates are not the only professionals who have been guilty of ordering unnecessary expensive tests — private GPs are much more culpable of that ArulConsultant paediatric surgeon,Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Sir, James Kirkup bemoans the cost to the state of 'doctors' comfortable retirements' (comment, Jun 30). As a house officer in 1997 I was paid less per hour to be on call for five surgical wards overnight than I was the previous year as a general assistant in a supermarket. However, I consoled myself with the promise of a comfortable final salary pension. This pension has since been eroded and we have moved on to career-average schemes. Furthermore, many of my generation have faced tax charges amounting to five or six-figure sums for pensions that they may never receive. It is little wonder that the exodus to foreign climes and the private sector continues David W McCareyConsultant rheumatologist and physician, Glasgow Sir, Further to your helpful leading article on the royal finances ('Gravy Train', Jul 2), the King and Prince of Wales are, respectively, Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Cornwall by the will of parliament — the Act of Settlement. The revenues of the duchies are not 'private wealth' but a perquisite of the titles parliament bestowed. In the country's perilous financial situation the time has surely come to end this ridiculous fiction, deploy public money for the public good and pay the head of state and his helpers proper salaries and expenses for the duties they carry RossAuchencairn, Dumfries and Galloway Sir, The decision to retire the royal train would end a tradition dating back to 1842 ('End of the line for royal train', news, Jul 1). More than a symbol of royal travel, it reflects our national heritage and the bond between crown and country. Nowhere is that identity more deeply felt than in places such as Wolverton, in my constituency, where the train found its home. Fitted out there in 1977, it is a part of the town's identity, its legacy woven into Wolverton's rich cultural heritage. At a time of rail revival and infrastructure spending, this is a chance to modernise a cherished tradition, not scrap it. There is time to change track: I believe the train has more miles left in it Curtis MPHouse of Commons Sir, Sir Ephraim Mirvis has criticised Bobby Vylan's chant of 'death, death to the IDF' as being antisemitic ('Change needed at BBC after Bob Vylan fiasco, says Chief Rabbi', Jul 1). The inference to be drawn from the Chief Rabbi's remarks is that criticism of Israel's military activities is automatically antisemitic. This is a dangerous route down which to go. The separation of the racial aspect from the governmental one is important, otherwise any action by the Israeli government can be given carte blanche because criticism may be considered AlexanderChichester Sir, Is it not time to stop conflating disapproval of Israel's government with antisemitism? There are Jewish people all over the world, including in Israel, who do not like the way that Binyamin Netanyahu's government is conducting its war in Gaza. If that is regarded as supporting terrorism, then God help CookeClavering, Essex Sir, The science behind cheese and dreaming (news, Jul 1; letter, Jul 2) is straightforward: cheese is rich in tryptophan, one of the building blocks for neurotransmitters that influence sleep and moods. Wallace and Gromit never eat Wensleydale before Jeremy AuchinclossElgin, Moray Sir, James Marriott ('AI will leave a gaping void for workaholic world', Jul 1) repeats the canard that bankers in the past worked only from 10am to 3pm. This was far from the case. We started at 9am. After closing we had to balance the books — this was before calculators and computers — and this often meant working until well after 5pm. Overtime was paid only if we worked until 6pm (it was remarkable how often we were ushered out at 5.55pm). Saturday mornings were worked too, and annual leave was two weeks. My annual salary when I joined in 1954 was £170. I couldn't afford a meal at a café, and there was no staff room at the bank, so I had to cycle six miles home for lunch and be back again within the SprattFormer Lloyds Bank manager, Upton St Leonards, Glos Sir, Rohan Silva (comment, Jul 2) praises the benefits of AI which, with some transitional friction, will do us all good. But he doesn't mention the consequences of AI in the hands of bad people. In future years will we be able to believe anything we see on the internet, TV or newspapers? Only physical meetings will be acceptable for serious decision-makers. Perhaps we can hope that AI can be adapted to recognise lies created by ToozeDarlington, Co Durham Sir, I take issue with Emma Duncan's assertion (Notebook, Jun 30) that 'backing creative kids may do them no favours' and that young people pursuing careers in the creative industries 'will find themselves in their thirties without a profession or a useful skill'. The arts have always been a lottery. But other professions have their dropouts too: many teachers, lawyers and doctors change jobs in their thirties. What should we do — only train armies of bankers and business people? What a sad society it would be that did not encourage the creative spirit and the outspoken, brave young people who make the arts happen. Our country needs their stories, plays, dance and music — they are attempts to understand IrelandAmbassador, Action for Children's Arts Sir, Wimbledon's linesmen and women are rather like the Beefeaters at the Tower of London — not strictly indispensable but the visual essence of their place of work. Wimbledon has lost its unique character without DallingHartley Wintney, Hants Sir, Mark Riley (letter, Jul 2) should be ashamed of himself. Those are eye-stalks on the Daleks' domes, not weapons. Disgraceful knowledge of Dalek HarrisSittingbourne, Kent Sir, Matthew Parris should venture to Northern Ireland to see, and walk, a real wall (Notebook, Jul 2). The Mourne Wall in Co Down is 19 miles long, 5ft high and 2ft wide, built in the early 20th century using only granite boulders and reaching 2, ShieldsBanbridge, Co Down Write to letters@
