“I understand that the government has a very difficult decision to make given the current fiscal position and international environment. However, if defence spending is to increase, it should not be at the expense of other ways of promoting peace and justice. Peacebuilding is a vital aspect of international security”. With these words, in a statement posted by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the International Affairs Department, criticised the choice made a few weeks ago by the British Government led by Keir Starmer to raise defence spending to 2.5% by 2027-28 with the aim of 3% in the next four years. “It is important to ensure that the expansion of military funding does not result in the diversion of resources away from foreign aid and support for the world’s poorest people. Without a balanced investment in diplomacy, multilateralism, and assistance to the poor as vital means of securing peace, we risk deepening the very crises we seek to prevent”, Bishop Hudson went on. “I also hope that the UK approaches the development of autonomous weapon systems with great caution, always upholding the principle that machines must never replace human moral judgment or responsibility in matters of life and death. I urge our government leaders to remember that true security comes not only from strength, but also from compassion and active peacebuilding”.