Britain must raise taxes for defence – is the price of a cappuccino too much to ask?

Members of the public must be prepared to pay £1.70 a day to ensure our armed forces have the tools and technology they need to defend us all, writes former defence minister Tobias Ellwood

Ronald Reagan did it. So did Margaret Thatcher. Both are remembered for cutting taxes and boosting defence – but here’s what’s often lost in the slogans: they raised taxes, too. Not because they wanted to, but because circumstances demanded it.

When the stakes are high, strong leadership means making honest – and sometimes difficult – calls. Look around us. How safe do we really feel?

By every measure, across every domain, the world is becoming more dangerous, not less. Our adversaries are not just emboldened, they are beginning to align – testing our weaknesses, watching our responses. Meanwhile, the reliability of our traditional alliances is no longer guaranteed. The international order we've relied on since 1945 has never looked more fragile. If ever there was a moment to rebuild our military credibility and invest in our national security, this is it.

The British people are starting to see the echoes of 1938, and they want to avoid history repeating itself. There is an expectation that Britain must, once again, step forward to lead. But, let’s be honest, our hard and soft power is not what it was.

In all three military domains – sea, land, and air – we already lack the scale of platforms and personnel to meet even our current obligations. Air defence, drone technology, and our resilience against grey-zone warfare all require urgent investment. So, too, does our industrial base, to produce the munitions, stockpiles, and readiness this new threat environment demands.

But this cannot be achieved by squeezing other Whitehall budgets or borrowing more. Nor should it come at the expense of our soft power. Cutting the overseas aid budget would open up different threats, the kind that can haunt us for decades. Extremism, pandemics like Ebola, and the drivers of mass migration are not deterred with tanks, ships, or jets – they’re tackled with targeted aid that stabilises regions before crises escalate.

Time is against us. The vulnerabilities we face will be exploited unless we act now to upgrade our defence posture. Across Europe, countries are investing in defence. But here in the UK, we face an anomaly. It’s become almost taboo to talk about raising taxes, especially during election season. And yet, these are uncertain times.

So let me say what we all suspect we’ll eventually have to: we need to raise taxes – specifically, for our security. Let’s craft a clear, transparent strategy and present it to the British people. An increase in income tax across all bands could raise the funds to boost defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP and restore our soft power. All of it is funded by asking the average worker to pay just £1.70 more a day, the price of a cappuccino.

That’s the deal. No gimmicks. No cuts to essential services. No magic money trees. Just an honest, grown-up conversation. Levelling with the British people.

This isn’t warmongering. It’s responsibility. It’s deterrence. It’s ensuring our armed forces have the tools, training, and technology they need to defend the nation.

The penny is dropping. We’re entering a new age of insecurity. If we want to stay safe, defend our values, and lead internationally – as we have in the past – we must act now. The price? £1.70 a day today. The alternative? Dither, delay – and pay far more later, scrambling to catch up in the fog of war.

It’s tempting to ask, “What would Churchill do?” Let’s not blink. Let’s lead.