Jonathan Beale

Journalist. This is my personal twitter account

[Jonathan Beale @bealejonathan]

https://t.co/If0Y13ejgC

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

Slovyansk is one of the few cities in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk that hasn’t been taken by Russia.

The ‘Peaky Blinders’ are a specialist unit tasked to intercept Russian drones. More details: https://t.co/t0xH9XJZWg

[Jonathan Beale @bealejonathan]

https://t.co/mRtljhH37G

[Gareth Jennings @GarethJennings3]

Brilliant session on #Ukraine F-16 at @DefenceIQ #IFC26. F-16s have scored 4,700 OWA shoot downs mainly with the gun, and in October alone 1,100 shoot downs. "One pilot got a record 8 drones in one sortie using 400 rounds and brought back 100 rounds. A few days ago broke his record with 9 drones and brought back 80 rounds. One of the younger pilots just made holes in the sky and hit nothing, but with simulator training he then went and hit 5" - spox, adding, "The tactics are simple – just get in range and shoot the gun!"

[ben moores @benmoores2]

1/ A couple of points on this:

The full Ben Wallace quote is that all parties hollowed out defence. They deliberately misquote him although when Wallace said that he was trying to reach across the divide and shift the debate. Regardless of your politics this is wrong.

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

Thousands of European troops to rehearse Ukraine deployment in event of peace https://t.co/FlwIvowkNF

[Rt. Hon Ben Wallace @BenWallace70]

Despite a direction from me when Defence Secretary that the Skynet 6A , £2bn contract was too important to the UK space industry to offshore to Lockheed Martin it looks as if Wes is preparing to place the contract overseas. The damage it would do to Stevenage and the UK satellite industry would be irreversible and it was always assessed it could mean the end of the sector. Lockheed’s promises of factories in Newcastle were skin deep. The differences between types on offer were marginal. No.10 could, and should stop this. @AirbusDefence @wesstreeting @larisamlbrown @kevinbonavia @haynesdeborah

[BBC Politics @BBCPolitics]

“Is there now enough cash to keep this country safe?” asks #BBCLauraK

“Not yet” says former Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin

https://t.co/CkTHGctZ4k

[UK Defence Journal @UKDefJournal]

No Astute class submarine was operationally deployed through summer 2026, with all five alongside in British harbours, a new @878org briefing says.
https://t.co/fzb3ekAOIK

[ben moores @benmoores2]

The problem is that this leadership keeps signing off American equipment with no UK workshare of meaning. Satelittes, helicopter engines, long range missiles.

[ben moores @benmoores2]

There is nothing left to sell that wouldnt cost money in the short term and/or long term against current strategic output requirements and if you did sell it you wouldnt see any money for at least 5 years. We've been around this buoy about 6 times in 2 decades. This is very silly

[Shelby @Shelby_Wilder]

I could not go to Oleshky because my safety could not be guaranteed by White House. That alone tells you everything you need to know.

I have spent years speaking with Ukrainians who endured Russian occupation, managed to flee it, or were subjected to filtration. So yes, I can provide context on the fear, suffering and realities of being at the mercy of Russian forces.

Labelling me a “Ukrainian asset” is simply an attempt to dismiss what I am saying. It does nothing to change the facts or diminish the truth of what these people have endured.

[Ruth Deyermond @ruth_deyermond]

"This is about responding to a permanent change of affairs, not an aberration of the Trump Presidency. Things will not go back to the way they were before." Keir Starmer is absolutely right. All the more unfortunate, then, that as PM he failed to do more on defence spending.

[Shelby @Shelby_Wilder]

Waited until our team crossed the border (back into UA) before commenting on this report, which got me pulled off air yesterday...
But viewers should be aware of the perils and pitfalls of reporting from Russian-occupied Ukraine, where information is tightly controlled and independent journalism faces serious constraints.

[Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP @TanDhesi]

The evidence is hitting us hard in our face!

That’s why the #Defence Committee has been warning for over a year now that, rather than delaying decisions, we need to chart a path to 3% GDP spend and #invest properly now in our nation’s security.

https://t.co/7IBBVuOiYs

[ben moores @benmoores2]

"The Ministry of Defence will apply the rules on a "case-by-case" basis from April 2027, the government said in a statement." - FMS will be excluded which is where the bulk of imports come. So this is a pretend announcement not a change.

https://t.co/5DPRsuSxiB

[Mike Tapp MP @MikeTappTweets]

We cannot keep delaying vital decisions on defence spending.

Our welfare bill is too high while our Armed Forces urgently need investment.

The world is becoming more dangerous. We must fund our commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence.

National security isn’t optional. It’s the first duty of government.

[Mike Martin MP 🔸 @ThreshedThought]

The Chancellor is - unbelievably - cutting defence at a time when the threats against us are grave

[Matthew Savill @MTSavill]

DIP profile v today's Red Book profile.

[Jonathan Beale @bealejonathan]

Not sure why anyone would want to “watch the full video” of this ? And it ain’t journalism

[Declassified UK @declassifiedUK]

Watch the full video here: https://t.co/iFQzIKweiL

We got a furious response from the former Conservative minister Lord Michael Gove when we asked about his position on Israel at the Labour Conference.

Gove claimed he knew more about antisemitism than Zack Polanski, the only Jewish leader of a major political party in the UK. He also accused us of not being journalists and of an obsession with Israel, despite the Labour government's change in position on the occupation of Palestine being the key topic at this year's conference.

Gove now sits in the House of Lords and is editor of right-wing magazine The Spectator.

[Mike Martin MP 🔸 @ThreshedThought]

The Defence Secretary has just announced that the Government is sending RAF Typhoon jets to defend the Saudis from Houthi attacks.

I understand that the RAF is stretched extremely thin and this move could leave Britain or our European allies exposed.

A short 🧵