Thread: 1/ Labour's @JohnHealey_MP just set out a pretty comprehensive defence overview that is a) clearly anti-tory both in policy and principle b) stands a chance of reconnecting with the voters Labour needs to win...
2/ The key points were - as under Corbyn - support for NATO, for Trident renewal, multilateralism and rule of law, and UK-focused defence procurement strategy...
3/ Healey pointed out that all wings of Labour supported NATO at foundation - IIRC there were only 6 votes against it in parliament - 2x communists and 4x pro-CP ex-Labour MPs.... Bevan/Lee etc supported it and of course the Labour right designed it...
4/ What was striking in @JohnHealey_MP speech was the categoric opposition to the Tories on a) the "Indo-Pacific tilt" - ie hubristic world policeman delusions b) the spending cuts and personnel reductions being trailed...
5/ He was also highly critical of the Tories over Huawei, where commercial/elite self interest for years overrode national security priorities...
6/ Also a key point of difference, which clearly wound up some ex-MoD ppl in the audience, was Labour's insistence on protecting UK industrial capacity as a national security priority, and buying British, and not selling British to dictators...
7/ Defence and economic competence are the two major negatives among the voters Labour needs to win back. Healey, who represents a "Red Wall" constituency, was pretty frank about that...
8/ The stuff on NATO/nukes will not be welcomed by sections of the left, but in practice Labour's 2017/2019 manifestos said the same... but were badly undermined by the fiasco over Skripal. Today's speech was very tough on Russia over Skripal, by contrast...
9/ With @AnnelieseDodds speech on the budget, and @JohnHealey_MP on defence, in 24 hours, there's a clear theme emerging - Tories have undermined the foundations of UK society, economy and national security and Labour will fix them...
10/ As someone who argued from the get-go that Corbyn should combine a radical left economic policy with tradition soc-dem positions on security/defence (like Syriza), I'm glad the party has swung that way - though on economy it needs to go much further...
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