Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, will say today that Britain must be ready “to use hard power” to protect its interests. He will warn that Russia and China are blurring the boundaries between peace and war and declare that Britain must stand up to those who “flout international law”, a principle that “may lead to us intervene ourselves”.
“To talk but fail to act risks our nation being seen as little more than a paper tiger,” he will say.
He will announce details of a global tour that the new aircraft carrier, one of two costing a combined £6.2 billion, will undertake,…