Military stockpiles will never go below the 'safe line' needed for nation's security, minister says

Britain's military stockpiles would never go below the "safe line" needed for the nation's own security, a defence minister has said in the wake of the large-scale military support being provided by the UK to Ukraine.

Tory frontbencher Baroness Goldie made her comments in response to a Lords debate on the resilience of Britain’s Armed Forces against the backdrop of defence cutbacks and the continuing conflict in Ukraine following last year’s invasion by Russian forces.

The latest assistance being sent includes 14 Challenger 2 tanks, additional artillery and hundreds more missiles.

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Lady Goldie also said that Britain had been more "free handed" in revealing intelligence about the Ukraine war to "neutralise the poison of lies and misinformation" by the Kremlin.

Lady Goldie told peers: "On dealing with propaganda and misinformation, we have used our own intelligence, in conjunction with the United States and the armed forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian intelligence sources, to start being a little more free handed about disclosing intelligence.

"We think that is the best way to neutralise the poison of lies and misinformation, and it has proved to be very effective."

Pointing to a recent survey carried out in Russia, she said: "It indicated that public support for the war is dropping in Russia, and that is very welcome."

Highlighting the extra UK military support being provided to the war-torn country, the minister said: "That package is designed to help Ukraine to go on to dominate the battlefield and to move from resisting to expelling Russian forces from Ukrainian soil."

Lady Goldie added: "In relation to replenishing stocks, the Ministry of Defence continually manages and reviews its stocks of weapons and munitions and these considerations inform what we give in kind to the armed forces of Ukraine.

"There are regular strategic supplier conversations throughout the ministry and we regularly fully engage with industry, allies and partners to ensure that all equipment and munitions granted in kind are replaced as expeditiously as possible.

"We are absolutely clear that we will never go below the safe line that we require for the security of our own nation."