Armed Forces Bill 2026 Continuing the Direction of Taking the Country away from Peace and towards War
Source: http://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-26/ww26-02/ww26-02-01.htm
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:14
Armed Forces Bill 2026 Continuing the Direction of Taking the Country away from
Peace and towards War
Volume 56 Number 2, January 31,
2026
ARCHIVE
HOME
JBCENTRE
SUBSCRIBE
Armed Forces Bill 2026
Continuing the Direction of Taking the Country
away from Peace and towards War
The Armed Forces Bill 2026 was presented to the House of Commons for its
Second Reading on Monday, January 26 [1]. John Healey, the Defence Secretary,
introduced the Bill in such a grandiose manner that showed he expected no
challenge from any part of the House, and indeed many MPs from all the cartel
parties felt obliged to echo the Defence Secretary in saying that it was
"a privilege" to speak in the debate, including the Shadow Defence
Secretary in his contribution.
John Healey began: "It is a rare privilege to open this debate. This is
only the second ever Labour Armed Forces Bill, yet the provenance of this
legislation reaches all the way back to the Bill of Rights, and more than three
centuries on, granting authority to maintain our armed forces remains one of
the most important - if not the most important - formal constitutional
responsibilities of Members of this House." He used these words designed
to secure responses in Parliament that were broadly supportive of the Bill's
aims, but with the scrutiny of MPs mainly focusing on the welfare of those in
the armed forces, on their housing and justice reform, whilst skirting around
the huge-scale increases in defence spending as the government's particular aim
with this legislation.
These measures in the Armed Forces Bill are being put in the service of the
government's Strategic Defence Review announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir
Starmer in June [2]. This, as Starmer said then, aims to turn Britain's
already military-dominated economy into a fully militarised economy and to put
British society on a war footing. This is why Healey went on to say in
his statement to Parliament that the Armed Forces Bill was a "substantial
Bill - a reflection of just how much the world has changed over the past five
years. It is more dangerous and much less certain, and this new era of threat
demands a new era for defence." He avoided completely Britain's role in
the creation of this dangerous world, in Britain's role in the escalation of
Anglo-US and NATO proxy war in Ukraine against Russia and their direct military
support and complicity in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians, as well
as the government's complicity in US interference and threats of war to
Venezuela, I ran and in every part of the globe.
The history of the Armed Forces Bill is that it is required every five years
to maintain the legal basis for the UK's armed forces "in peacetime".
This although Britain's interventions and wars abroad have continued since the
end of World War II almost unabated. The lineage of the legislation goes back
to the 1688 Bill of Rights [3], which requires Parliament to authorise a
standing army in peacetime. The 2026 Bill does more than simply renew the Armed
Forces Act 2006, an Act which consolidated the previous separate service acts
into a single system of service law. Since then, new Armed Forces Acts have
been passed in 2011, 2016, and 2021 to renew the 2006 Act. Even according to
some media reports, the 2026 Bill "is being used as a major policy vehicle
to reshape defence for what ministers describe as a 'more dangerous and much
less certain world'." Healey's justification for the Bill was not welfare
of armed forces service members "in peacetime" but rather the plans
for escalating wars. This was further revealed when the Defence Secretary said,
"It is why we are proposing, through this Bill, to increase our war
fighting readiness and homeland security, and why we are putting the men and
women in our armed forces at the heart of defence plans."
In other words, the main point is overall the focus on the military, given
what the government, not to mention the other cartel parties, are calling a
more dangerous global situation. They have to give support to the armed forces
personnel, but, like the "outrage" over Trump's remarks about the
role of British forces in Afghanistan staying "a little back", they
gloss over who is the aggressor, who is causing the danger, and the direction
they are taking the country away from peace and towards war. As Declassified,
pointed out a number of years ago: "Britain has deployed its armed forces
for combat over 80 times in 47 countries since the end of the Second World War,
in episodes ranging from brutal colonial wars and covert operations to efforts
to prop up favoured governments or to deter civil unrest." Other estimates
have put the number of military interventions by Britain at over one hundred in
this time.
What is noticeable today is that the use of violence and dictate is being
used by the likes of the US and Britain on an increasing scale, and the Armed
Forces Bill fits into this context. This is the meaning of the government's
talks of a "new era for defence", in which, for example, it is the
Secretary of State who wields the power to recall of reservists, and oversees
the "largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the
Cold War". For the working class and people, this emphasises that they
have to work to consolidate themselves as the power to combat this
warmongering, violence, dictate and militarism, with their sights set on
constituting themselves as an Anti-War Government, and all that entails about
authority and power resting with the people who desire peace. The youth must
not be made cannon-fodder in the wars of the ruling elite and the armaments
industry, and nor should the more elderly reservists! This is what the working
class and people demand, tearing away the cloak of being "privileged"
which emerged as a theme from the Armed Forces Bill second reading.
For Your Reference - the key measures in the Armed Forces Bill 2026 are:
Full legal enshrinement of the Armed Forces Covenant, expanding the duty on
public bodies and bringing UK and devolved governments into scope [4].
Creation of a Defence Housing Service to improve and manage service
accommodation, regenerate defence land, and support service communities.
Drone-related security powers, allowing Defence personnel to use approved
equipment to detect and prevent drone offences at Defence sites.
Readiness reforms, including:
Raising the maximum recall age for reservists from 55 to 65
Allowing seamless transfer between regulars and reserves
Giving the Secretary of State powers to authorise recall for warlike
operations in preparation or underway
Service Justice System reforms, including improved victim support and
clearer complaint mechanisms. The Government frames the Bill as part of a
broader shift to a "new era for defence", backed by £5 billion
in additional defence spending this year and the "largest sustained
increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War".
The Second Reading debate showed cross-party support for what are being
referred to as "welfare-focused measures", in that MPs repeatedly
emphasised the importance of improving service life, housing, and family
support. Government voices in the debate claimed it was the largest pay rise in
two decades and with expanded wraparound childcare. However, there were also
areas of scrutiny and concern, particularly around housing delivery, justice
reforms, and whether the Bill goes far enough on readiness and personnel
welfare, and questioning as to whether there were commitments to safe, decent
housing for all forces families. These were characterised as overdue steps to
"renew the nation's contract with those who serve".
The Bill now goes to a Select Committee, which is to report to the Commons
on or before April 30, 2026. Then follows consideration by a Committee of the
whole House and a third reading, before the Bill goes before the House of
Lords.
Notes
1. Armed Forces Bill
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4065
The Second Reading debate can be found at:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-01-26/debates/4F0A248D-4B14-40D2-9D0E-B6008AC997C0/ArmedForcesBill
2. Strategic Defence Review: Starmer's Attempt to Put Britain on
"War-Fighting Readiness" Cannot Be Accepted,
Workers' Weekly
,
June 7 2025
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-25/ww25-13/ww25-13-01.htm
3. 1688 Bill of Rights
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMarSess2/1/2/introduction
4. The "Armed Forces Covenant" was first published in 2011 and is
said to ensure that "the Armed Forces Community are not disadvantaged in
comparison to other British citizens, such as accessing public or commercial
services, while also being treated with fairness and respect."
https://blesma.org/armed-forces-covenant
Link to Full Issue of Workers'
Weekly
RCPB(ML) Home Page
Workers' Weekly Online
Archive
Peace and towards War
Volume 56 Number 2, January 31,
2026
ARCHIVE
HOME
JBCENTRE
SUBSCRIBE
Armed Forces Bill 2026
Continuing the Direction of Taking the Country
away from Peace and towards War
The Armed Forces Bill 2026 was presented to the House of Commons for its
Second Reading on Monday, January 26 [1]. John Healey, the Defence Secretary,
introduced the Bill in such a grandiose manner that showed he expected no
challenge from any part of the House, and indeed many MPs from all the cartel
parties felt obliged to echo the Defence Secretary in saying that it was
"a privilege" to speak in the debate, including the Shadow Defence
Secretary in his contribution.
John Healey began: "It is a rare privilege to open this debate. This is
only the second ever Labour Armed Forces Bill, yet the provenance of this
legislation reaches all the way back to the Bill of Rights, and more than three
centuries on, granting authority to maintain our armed forces remains one of
the most important - if not the most important - formal constitutional
responsibilities of Members of this House." He used these words designed
to secure responses in Parliament that were broadly supportive of the Bill's
aims, but with the scrutiny of MPs mainly focusing on the welfare of those in
the armed forces, on their housing and justice reform, whilst skirting around
the huge-scale increases in defence spending as the government's particular aim
with this legislation.
These measures in the Armed Forces Bill are being put in the service of the
government's Strategic Defence Review announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir
Starmer in June [2]. This, as Starmer said then, aims to turn Britain's
already military-dominated economy into a fully militarised economy and to put
British society on a war footing. This is why Healey went on to say in
his statement to Parliament that the Armed Forces Bill was a "substantial
Bill - a reflection of just how much the world has changed over the past five
years. It is more dangerous and much less certain, and this new era of threat
demands a new era for defence." He avoided completely Britain's role in
the creation of this dangerous world, in Britain's role in the escalation of
Anglo-US and NATO proxy war in Ukraine against Russia and their direct military
support and complicity in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians, as well
as the government's complicity in US interference and threats of war to
Venezuela, I ran and in every part of the globe.
The history of the Armed Forces Bill is that it is required every five years
to maintain the legal basis for the UK's armed forces "in peacetime".
This although Britain's interventions and wars abroad have continued since the
end of World War II almost unabated. The lineage of the legislation goes back
to the 1688 Bill of Rights [3], which requires Parliament to authorise a
standing army in peacetime. The 2026 Bill does more than simply renew the Armed
Forces Act 2006, an Act which consolidated the previous separate service acts
into a single system of service law. Since then, new Armed Forces Acts have
been passed in 2011, 2016, and 2021 to renew the 2006 Act. Even according to
some media reports, the 2026 Bill "is being used as a major policy vehicle
to reshape defence for what ministers describe as a 'more dangerous and much
less certain world'." Healey's justification for the Bill was not welfare
of armed forces service members "in peacetime" but rather the plans
for escalating wars. This was further revealed when the Defence Secretary said,
"It is why we are proposing, through this Bill, to increase our war
fighting readiness and homeland security, and why we are putting the men and
women in our armed forces at the heart of defence plans."
In other words, the main point is overall the focus on the military, given
what the government, not to mention the other cartel parties, are calling a
more dangerous global situation. They have to give support to the armed forces
personnel, but, like the "outrage" over Trump's remarks about the
role of British forces in Afghanistan staying "a little back", they
gloss over who is the aggressor, who is causing the danger, and the direction
they are taking the country away from peace and towards war. As Declassified,
pointed out a number of years ago: "Britain has deployed its armed forces
for combat over 80 times in 47 countries since the end of the Second World War,
in episodes ranging from brutal colonial wars and covert operations to efforts
to prop up favoured governments or to deter civil unrest." Other estimates
have put the number of military interventions by Britain at over one hundred in
this time.
What is noticeable today is that the use of violence and dictate is being
used by the likes of the US and Britain on an increasing scale, and the Armed
Forces Bill fits into this context. This is the meaning of the government's
talks of a "new era for defence", in which, for example, it is the
Secretary of State who wields the power to recall of reservists, and oversees
the "largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the
Cold War". For the working class and people, this emphasises that they
have to work to consolidate themselves as the power to combat this
warmongering, violence, dictate and militarism, with their sights set on
constituting themselves as an Anti-War Government, and all that entails about
authority and power resting with the people who desire peace. The youth must
not be made cannon-fodder in the wars of the ruling elite and the armaments
industry, and nor should the more elderly reservists! This is what the working
class and people demand, tearing away the cloak of being "privileged"
which emerged as a theme from the Armed Forces Bill second reading.
For Your Reference - the key measures in the Armed Forces Bill 2026 are:
Full legal enshrinement of the Armed Forces Covenant, expanding the duty on
public bodies and bringing UK and devolved governments into scope [4].
Creation of a Defence Housing Service to improve and manage service
accommodation, regenerate defence land, and support service communities.
Drone-related security powers, allowing Defence personnel to use approved
equipment to detect and prevent drone offences at Defence sites.
Readiness reforms, including:
Raising the maximum recall age for reservists from 55 to 65
Allowing seamless transfer between regulars and reserves
Giving the Secretary of State powers to authorise recall for warlike
operations in preparation or underway
Service Justice System reforms, including improved victim support and
clearer complaint mechanisms. The Government frames the Bill as part of a
broader shift to a "new era for defence", backed by £5 billion
in additional defence spending this year and the "largest sustained
increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War".
The Second Reading debate showed cross-party support for what are being
referred to as "welfare-focused measures", in that MPs repeatedly
emphasised the importance of improving service life, housing, and family
support. Government voices in the debate claimed it was the largest pay rise in
two decades and with expanded wraparound childcare. However, there were also
areas of scrutiny and concern, particularly around housing delivery, justice
reforms, and whether the Bill goes far enough on readiness and personnel
welfare, and questioning as to whether there were commitments to safe, decent
housing for all forces families. These were characterised as overdue steps to
"renew the nation's contract with those who serve".
The Bill now goes to a Select Committee, which is to report to the Commons
on or before April 30, 2026. Then follows consideration by a Committee of the
whole House and a third reading, before the Bill goes before the House of
Lords.
Notes
1. Armed Forces Bill
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4065
The Second Reading debate can be found at:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-01-26/debates/4F0A248D-4B14-40D2-9D0E-B6008AC997C0/ArmedForcesBill
2. Strategic Defence Review: Starmer's Attempt to Put Britain on
"War-Fighting Readiness" Cannot Be Accepted,
Workers' Weekly
,
June 7 2025
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-25/ww25-13/ww25-13-01.htm
3. 1688 Bill of Rights
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMarSess2/1/2/introduction
4. The "Armed Forces Covenant" was first published in 2011 and is
said to ensure that "the Armed Forces Community are not disadvantaged in
comparison to other British citizens, such as accessing public or commercial
services, while also being treated with fairness and respect."
https://blesma.org/armed-forces-covenant
Link to Full Issue of Workers'
Weekly
RCPB(ML) Home Page
Workers' Weekly Online
Archive