Conscience: Taxes for Peace not War is proud to have joined more than 50 organisations in signing a public letter to the outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of the recent NATO Summit in Ankara.

George Robertson’s recent intervention reflects a dangerous idea gaining ground in British politics: that if the government wants to spend more on the military, it should look to welfare to make room for it. Conscience rejects this false choice. Real security is not built through war preparation alone, but through housing, healthcare, stable communities, diplomacy and peacebuilding. Britain needs priorities that protect people and fund peace, not war.

Conscience is deeply alarmed by the ongoing US and Israeli military attacks on Iran. Airstrikes on major cities and threats of further escalation risk igniting a catastrophic regional war with devastating human consequences.