As conflict escalates around the globe responding to security threats is a cost we must bear, but a Labour government will always find the means to stand up against disease and hunger

• Yvetter Cooper is secretary of state for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

In my lifetime, there has never been a period when the scale of global instability and insecurity – and the impact here in the UK – has been so great. Regional conflict is gripping the Middle East ; the Iranian regime is trying to hold the global economy hostage in the strait of Hormuz; and a fresh humanitarian disaster is escalating in Lebanon – all coming alongside the crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere.

Britain’s fighter jets are in defensive operations in the Middle East; our carrier strike group has planned deployment to the North Atlantic and Arctic; and as our security services have warned, we are in a constant battle to protect our country, our people, and our economy from state threats and cyber-attacks.