The chilling reality of war in Ukraine has shaken the foundations of European security. Beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis, it has forced nations across the continent to re-evaluate their defence priorities and ask fundamental questions about their role in a rapidly changing global landscape. Nowhere is this more pressing than in the United Kingdom, a nation with a long history of global engagement and a potent, if increasingly stretched, military. For decades, Britain has sought to maintain a "Global Britain" posture, capable of projecting power and influence around the world. But in the shadow of Russia's invasion, a stark question arises: Should the UK continue to pursue a global defence strategy, or should it, in light of Ukraine, pivot to a more Euro-centric approach, focusing its resources and efforts on the security of its own back garden?

Welcome back, dear readers, to another instalment of the Brexit saga – a story that's more complex than a John le Carré novel and with more twists than a country lane. Cast your minds back to 2016, when the UK, in a fit of national soul-searching (or perhaps just a bit of a strop), decided to take the plunge and vote to leave the European Union. The deed was done on January 31st, 2020, and now, several years down the line, the dust is beginning to settle. But are we seeing a resurgent Britannia, boldly charting a new course on the global seas, or a nation still trying to find its sea legs, perhaps even slightly seasick? Let's delve in, shall we?