Union boss calls on Labour to invest in fighting climate change not defence spending boost

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 06:22 EDT, 16 September 2026 | Updated: 06:54 EDT, 16 September 2026 Britain must spend its dwindling cash reserves on slowing climate change instead of defence, a radical trade unionist has demanded. In a controversial intervention, Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said on Wednesday Labour must invest in fighting climate change, education and housing instead of defending the realm. Addressing the annual meeting of trade unions in Brighton, Ms Grady said: 'Our lives don’t feel more secure because BAE Systems is getting another multi-billion-pound contract. A global arms race does not make us feel safer.'She added: ‘There is a choice, because every pound spent on bombs doesn’t get homeless people off the streets, it doesn’t build a new school, it doesn’t feed a hungry child, it doesn’t help the desperate NHS, the crumbling transport infrastructure or the crucial need for a programme of insourcing and renationalisation.'This comes as Labour has come under sustained pressure to set out a timeline for raising defence spending, with defence officials warning war could arrive on Britain's shores within five years.And Nato head Mark Rutte is expected on Wednesday to personally pressure Andy Burnham to boost defence investment at a meeting in London. Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said on Wednesday Labour must invest in fighting climate change, education and housing instead of defending the realm Defence officials have warned war could arrive on Britain's shores within five years Nato head Mark Rutte is expected tonight to personally pressure Andy Burnham to boost defence investment at a meeting in LondonJoin the discussionShould the UK prioritise funding for public services over increasing defence spending in uncertain times?What's your view?Union leaders have also called for the PM to act, with Unite general secretary Sharon Graham saying on Tuesday Labour must commit to spending 3 percent of GDP on defence by 2030.Ms Graham said the UK has been 'running our hand across our mouth in defence for ages' and that the defence industry must form part of a 'proper plan for the reindustrialisation of Britain'.But the UCU chief today urged members at the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to adopt a motion that would see spending flow to workers instead of defence. In contradiction with her union allies, she said: ‘Some will say ‘’what about jobs in this area’’. 'We are all elected to lead and leadership requires bravery. We have to imagine a new world and we have to deliver it.‘Proper investment in real security requires skilled workers. Let's invest in an education system that will deliver them and let’s invest in the sectors that will employ them.’Ms Grady added that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where Britain lost more than 600 troops, left surviving soldiers 'traumatised and wounded'. She said: 'I don't need macho men defending me. Most of the young men that I was friends with, most of the young men that I was friends with at the time, enlisted in the army and came back traumatised and wounded and have never been the same. 'For every story you could tell, there is a different story of trauma and misery, so please support the motion and keep building this campaign.'The union boss also lashed out at the US and Israel for their 'war of aggression against the people of Iran'.Ms Grady made her address on the final day of the TUC conference, at which she was seeking members' support for the 'Wages Not Weapons' campaign prioritising investment in workers and public services.The motion, backed by the UCU, calls for the TUC to 'raise awareness of fundamental rights', including the 'right to conscientious objection and opposition to compulsory military service in the UK'.It also called for union partners to 'promote conflict prevention, diplomacy, international cooperation, human rights and respect for international law'. Unlike many other motions which passed with overwhelming support, the 'Wages Not Weapons' campaign was voted through by only a slim majority.