£10bn 'Britannia Shield' Unveiled as YouGov Poll Reveals Russia Is Seen as UK's Biggest Threat

Russia poses the biggest threat to the UK, according to a poll published on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. YouGov conducted the poll among 6,096 adults in Great Britain and 46% of them identified Moscow as the biggest threat.

Surprisingly, the US garnered the second-highest votes with 12% and Iran only ranked third with 11%. Israel received 5% of the votes while China had 4%. Some 5% also said there are no countries considered a threat to the UK.

£10 Billion 'Britannia Shield'

The poll came at an opportune time as the Tories unveiled what they call a Britannia Shield, which is supposed to protect the UK from missile and drone attacks. 'Defence should be the government's first priority. Our world won't wait for Britain to be ready,' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said on social media.

'That's why the Conservatives announced Britannia Shield: a new national missile-and-drone defence system to protect the whole United Kingdom, our sovereign territories and British bases overseas,' Badenoch also said.

Britannia Shield, as the Conservative Party explained, is an integrated system comprising a network of radar, command and control systems, and interceptor missiles capable of defending the nation's critical infrastructure and military bases against drone and missile threats. It will cost up to £10 billion ($13.2 billion).

It complements previous pledges for a £50 billion ($66.2 billion) Sovereign Defence Fund and a tax-free Reserve Service. Badenoch said the Britannia Shield funding will be spread over 10 years at £1 billion ($1.3 billion) a year.

Kemi Badenoch: The Threat Is Here

Badenoch said she talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said that modern threats are different. The Conservative press release said: 'The announcement comes as the threat of missile and drone attack against Britain and our allies continues to grow.'

'Russia bombards Ukraine daily with ever more advanced drones and missiles, and they were behind a drone attack on Leipzig airport in August,' the release also said, referring to the explosive-laden drone found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport on 4 August 2026. Luckily, it failed to detonate.

The party also mentioned the drone attack that struck the UK's RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus on 1 March 2026, which was reportedly linked to Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Plus, there was that incident where Iran reportedly launched two missiles towards the joint British-American Diego Garcia military base in the Chagos Islands on 20 March 2026. Neither missile hit the base, with one reportedly failing in flight and the other intercepted by a US warship.

3% Defence Target

MP Ben Obese-Jecty also blasted the government for failing to push through its commitment to allocate 3% of GDP to defence spending. Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in February 2025 that defence spending would rise to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, alongside an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. But Starmer resigned in June 2026, and Andy Burnham became prime minister a month later. Burnham officially became prime minister on 20 July 2026.

'In contrast, Labour have pledged less than £0.8 billion ($1.1 billion) over the next decade, and reports today say that Andy Burnham and John Healey have pushed back a decision on laying out plans to reach 3% until the 2027 budget, over a year away. The Conservatives are the only party with a serious plan for defence,' said Obese-Jecty.