In your briefing today:

👋 Good morning Early Liners! And thank you to those who flagged the appearance of Joe Bloggs (a close relation of Phil Lertext), who made an unwelcome return to one of the bits of “furniture” in yesterday’s briefing.

At least I’m reassured many of you read that far, and you can be reassured this is all hand-crafted: no AI would be so slapdash, after all 😀

📣 It was a leaders’ debate where the argument got a lot more personal: Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar launched a furious attack on Reform UK’s Scottish Leader, Lord Malcolm Offord, claiming the party was running a candidate who wanted to extradite Sarwar’s children. Sarwar’s claim came amid angry exchanges on immigration, where several party leaders rounded on Offord and Reform’s policies.

Offord did not deny Sarwar’s claim - but countered with an accusation Sarwar had approached him about working together to oust the SNP. Sarwar later said that claim was a lie. (Mail) (Scotsman)

📣 The Scottish Greens unveiled their manifesto, saying they would stretch the powers of devolution “to their limits” to deliver a “fairer and better future”. Co-leaders Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer announced plans to make bus travel and dental treatment free for all, introduce a universal basic income, and fund expanded childcare.

But its manifesto pledges were uncosted, with the party instead promising it would increase taxes on Scotland’s wealthiest individuals, companies, and heaviest polluters to pay for the expanded public spending. (BBC) (Guardian)

📣 There are hopes peace talks between the US and Iran could resume soon, despite the US military blockade of Iranian ports now being in full effect and Tehran making threats to strike targets across the Middle East. (AP) (Guardian)

You don't have to read everything — just the right thing. 1440's daily newsletter distills the day's biggest stories from 100+ sources into one quick, 5-minute read. It's the fastest way to stay sharp, sound informed, and actually understand what's happening in the world. Join 4.5 million readers who start their day the smart way.

Join for free today!

📣 Donald Trump says “Aberdeen should be booming” as he branded UK ministers “absolutely crazy” for not increasing North Sea oil and gas production. (Scotsman)

📣 The Scottish government’s reluctance to embrace nuclear energy is driving up household energy bills, according to the industry’s lobbying group. (Herald)

📣 The remains of a prehistoric human settlement have been found near Crookston Castle in the south-west of Glasgow. (BBC)

📣 Europe is accelerating a fallback plan for Nato should Donald Trump follow through on threats to withdraw the US from the military alliance. (WSJ has the exclusive)

📣 The NHS in England has an “appalling culture of medical misogyny” according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. (Sky News)

📣 Air New Zealand is introducing bunk-style economy sleep pods for its flights between Auckland and New York, costing an additional £217 for four hours. Earplugs are included. (Guardian)

⚽️ Liverpool and Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League last night, PSG and Atletico Madrid progressing to the semi-finals on an entertaining night of action.

⚽️ Arne Slot’s failure leaves his future at Anfield in doubt. (BBC)

⚽️ Tonight, Arsenal will hope to build on 1-0 lead over Sporting in London. Mikel Arteta says they have to prove they have a “title mentality”. (Guardian)

⚽️ But game of the night will be in Munich, where Bayern take on Real Madrid with the score at 2-1 to the Bavarians. (Goal.com)

🗣️ George Robertson’s warning on the state of Britain’s defences - formally issued last night in a speech, but well trailed in the Financial Times yesterday - will have hit a nerve in government.

They have also dramatically raised the domestic profile of this former Scottish MP. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen will perhaps be remembered by most Scots as a member, briefly, of Tony Blair’s government - as Secretary of State for Defence - and as an MP for Hamilton South until he stood down to become the 10th Secretary General of Nato.

In that role, he won a lot of respect for guiding the alliance through the aftermath of 9/11, its first engagements outside Europe, and its expansion.

More recently, he co-authored the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, published last summer, which called for a big increase in defence spending and - in an echo of his approach while leading Nato - set out a strategy for Britain’s armed forces which saw them working hand in hand with the US.

He’s recognised for being loyal and discreet - which makes this week’s intervention all the more stark.

What are his criticisms? Lucy Fisher had the exclusive (£): that Britain’s leaders have shown a “corrosive complacency” towards defence, putting the country “in peril” while it is “under attack”. That Keir Starmer was “not willing to make the necessary investment” to bridge the gap between rhetoric and action on defence. That “non-military experts in the Treasury” have committed “vandalism”. Perhaps most scathingly: “We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget.”

Those last words could have come straight from the Daily Mail leader column and, today, right enough, the newspaper leaps on them: they’re “Not the Daily Mail’s words,” it exclaims, “but those of the ex-Labour minister Starmer tasked with writing his defence review - and who has now lost all confidence in [the] dithering PM.”

The Daily Mail was not the only voice to back Lord Robertson’s attack and demand for more action.

A flotilla of former defence secretaries backed him up: Malcolm Rifkind, a Tory predecessor, said defence was the government’s “prime responsibility” and called for cuts to welfare on increases in income tax to pay for more. A Labour successor, Jack Straw, praised his intervention, saying there was “great urgency” to pay for the defence spending programme Robertson set out in his defence review.

Sir Ben Wallace, more recently in office as part of Conservative administrations, writes in the Telegraph that “Starmer has proved himself to be ‘all mouth and no trousers’.

“This is not a matter of Conservative v Labour, or ‘he-said-she-said’ point scoring. It is the time for leadership,” he says.

Former Trump aide Fiona Hill has also weighed in: talking to the Guardian today, she warns of a “bizarre” lack of urgency in defence planning.

Not everyone, though, is convinced by Robertson’s framing. The Guardian's leader column makes a point not heard widely elsewhere: that before committing billions more, Britain ought to be scrutinising what it's spending the money on and why, not just how much.

Robertson's model, the Guardian suggests, sees Britain as America's junior partner - forces configured not for autonomous national defence, but for plugging into a US-led system. You can understand where that framing comes from, given Robertson’s own experience in Nato, and the era in which he held office.

But, today, with Donald Trump in the White House and the assumptions of the post-WW2 security settlement crumbling, is this really the moment to double down on that old model?

It's a decent question. Some may also see it as beside the point: it might appear foolish to redesign strategic doctrine in the middle of a parliamentary cycle when Russia is still fighting in Ukraine and the Gulf is on fire (although you might also reasonably argue now is precisely the time to change stance).

John Hutton, another former Labour defence secretary, believes Britain has 18 months to demonstrate it's serious about defence before Vladimir Putin starts drawing conclusions, and we enter “a world of pain” in Europe. That's a tight window.

Starmer and his Treasury might be hoping this blows over. Robertson, Hill, Hutton and many others are warning it won't.

Sent this by a friend?