The previous Conservative administration under Rishi Sunak had referred to China as an “epoch-defining challenge” but resisted calls from backbench Tory MPs to formally label Beijing as a “threat.”
Back in the game
Robertson is one of several New Labour figures that have been moved to top jobs under Starmer in his first week in office.
Cabinet Office chief Pat McFadden, part of the prime minister’s inner circle of top ministers dubbed the “gang of four,” served under both Blair and Gordon Brown, while newly elected MPs returning to the party after years of absence, such as Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary under Blair, were fast-tracked back into government roles.
The review is expected to conclude in the first half of 2025, throwing doubt over when the U.K. will hit the government’s stated ambition to hike defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP — Starmer previously insisted this review must be completed ahead of that commitment.
A defense department spokesperson said Defence Secretary John Healey saw the appointments as a “really formidable team” with varied experience.
“For Fiona, particularly, you’ve got that global expertise, and her understanding to Russia and the threats that Russia poses, is second to none,” they said.
