'Britain must prepare for war on home soil'

Report's chilling warning as nation's foes plot conflict

- By Katie Harris

BRITAIN must be ready to fight a war at home as our enemies prepare the ground for future clashes, security chiefs warned.

The chilling message, in the Government's national security strategy published yesterday, said: "We are in an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security."

It pointed to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as the most urgent example, but said Russian cyber attacks and sabotage and Iranian "hostile activity" in the UK were also rising.

And it added: "Meanwhile, some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression.

"For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario."

The document was released as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived in the Netherlands for the two-day NATO summit.

He will use the military alliance gathering in The Hague to announce a major strengthening of our nuclear deterrent.

Britain will purchase 12 new fighter jets and join NATO's airborne nuclear mission in what No10 called "the biggest strengthening of the UK's nuclear posture in a generation".