Rishi Sunak understands the dangers the UK faces

The world today is more dangerous than it has been in my lifetime, and much more so than when I became Prime Minister in 2010.

The invasion of Ukraine. Conflict in the Middle East. Ships attacked in the Red Sea. Wars across Africa.

We are faced with an axis of authoritarian states and hostile actors working together to threaten international security.

The warning lights on the global dashboard are flashing red and we cannot ignore them. Not least because instability abroad is also a threat here at home.

We’ve seen the classic Russian playbook – including a suspected attack on a warehouse in Britain storing supplies for Ukraine. And malicious cyber activity targeting our democratic institutions by Chinese state-affiliated organisations and individuals.

The global picture is going to remain challenging for some time. It is likely that international affairs will be top of the agenda during the next five years.

The prime minister our country chooses to elect on Thursday will have to spend great time and effort, working with allies, to combat the threats we face.

Rishi Sunak understands the scale of the challenge. And he has put in place a clear plan to help build a more secure future.

When, as prime minister, I hosted the Nato Summit in Wales in 2014, I was proud to commit to spending 2 per cent of our GDP on defence. We led the way and many countries followed.

And I am proud to serve Rishi Sunak – a Prime Minister who, in an increasingly dangerous world, has now committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030. An important commitment with a clear timetable. It is a clear signal both to our adversaries and our allies – demonstrating that we will play our part in shoring up global security.

The Labour Party has not committed to do the same. That is the wrong decision for our country. And as we push our allies to treat security with the seriousness it deserves, we can only ask others to make sacrifices we are willing to make ourselves.

Since 2010, we have shown that Conservative governments are prepared to make hard choices in challenging times. And there are difficult times ahead.

We need more emphasis on our security, not less. Our allies and adversaries must both see that we are serious about stepping up.

We need to use everything in the toolbox.

We have built up a formidable sanctions programme, targeting the hostile states, terrorist organisations, criminal gangs and others who seek to challenge our democracy and economic system.

In this extremely competitive world, we have also been leveraging our world-class diplomacy and international development skills to influence the approach of others.

This Conservative government has been out there competing, saying to potential partners all over the world that if you want to make the choice to be more open and independent, Britain can help you get there.

I strongly believe this Conservative government has been a force for good in a more dangerous world.

And we are the only party going into this election with a clear vision for how we should meet the challenges of a more insecure world.

You know what you will get with us. Let’s stick with the plan.