British public's fears of war revealed - as ex-commander issues message to citizens

Some 40% of people in the UK believe the country will be at war within five years, and more than two-thirds fear they would be unable to cope in a conflict, according to a new poll.

The survey, which also found that over half of those questioned felt Britain is poorly prepared for war, was released to coincide with today's launch of a private initiative to try to help bolster national resilience.

Lady Olga Maitland, founder of an organisation called the Resilience Imperative, said: "This will be a national campaign, non-partisan and independently funded, working with a coalition of organisations across all sectors of society, informing all corners of society from individuals to the financial and business sectors, and the communities up and down the country.

"We aim to inform policy debate and reinforce resolve as a cornerstone of national defence."

The Resilience Imperative is a small, donor-funded outfit.

The fact it is seeking to generate wider public awareness about this topic, rather than central government, signals an emerging awareness among the UK population of the importance of reviving the kind of national resilience that was second nature during the Cold War, as highlighted by The Wargame podcast by Sky News and Tortoise Media.

We all need to think about resilience, says ex-commander

A particular focus of the self-initiated push is to help strengthen the UK's resilience to attacks that already happen under the threshold of conventional war - such as cyber hacks and disinformation operations designed to influence minds and undermine democratic rule.

General Sir Richard Barrons, a former top military commander and one of the authors of a major review of defence published last year by the government, is supporting the initiative.

He said: "Now is the time for every citizen, enterprise and institution, including government, to make resilience an everyday part of how we think and act.

"Doing so keeps us safer when events turn against us and restores a key foundation of credible deterrence in the face of those who would harm us. Public awareness and engagement remain low, and resilience is too often treated as a technical issue rather than a national one."

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A new 'war book' for Britain

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the head of the armed forces, said in January that the government is committed to producing a "national defence plan" - effectively a modern version of what used to be called the Government War Book.

Drawn up during the First World War and maintained until the turn of the century, this was a comprehensive set of plans for the whole country - from the armed forces, hospitals and the police to industry, schools and even art galleries - to transition from peace to war.

It was shelved after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Sky News first revealed the absence of a modern national defence plan two years ago.

Sir Richard told MPs that work to draw up a new version is underway and is led by the Cabinet Office, as it is a whole-of-government effort, though he said the military component - which the Ministry of Defence is responsible for - would be finalised this year.

What else does the poll tell us?

Public First, a policy and research consultancy, will present the findings of its poll on public attitudes about threats, war and resilience today. It was not immediately clear how many people were questioned to produce the numbers.

As well as highlighting the proportion of the population who think war involving the UK could happen within the next five years, the research also found that only 42% of people would feel compelled to act if Britain was threatened.

In addition, the data signalled a shift in perception about the US - once a steadfast ally of the UK and NATO. The survey found 57% of people regarded the US as a threat, after Russia, Iran, North Korea and China.

(c) Sky News 2026: British public's fears of war revealed - as ex-commander issues message to citizens