Rishi Sunak will attempt to scare voters into voting Tory by insisting only he can save the country from the threat posed by Russia, Iran and China.
The prime minister - who experts say is heading for “a pasting” at the general election - will claim only he can “create a more secure future for you and your family”.
Sunak will say the UK “stands at a crossroads” and will even raise the prospect of going to war in the next five years as he tries to persuade voters not to dump him at the election later this year.
His comments, in a major speech this morning, come as the Conservatives continue to trail well behind Labour and less than two weeks after they were trounced at the local elections.
The PM will say: “I have bold ideas that can change our society for the better, and restore people’s confidence and pride in our country.
“I feel a profound sense of urgency. Because more will change in the next five years than in the last thirty.
“I’m convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet most transformational our country has ever known.”
He will add: “Our country stands at a crossroads. Over the next few years, from our democracy to our economy to our society – to the hardest questions of war and peace – almost every aspect of our lives is going to change.
“How we act in the face of these changes – not only to keep people safe and secure but to realise the opportunities too – will determine whether or not Britain will succeed in the years to come. And this is the choice facing the country.”
“At heart, we’re a nation of optimists. We’re not blind to the challenges or threats we face.
“We just have an innate belief that whatever they are, we can overcome them as we have done so many times in our history. And create a more secure future for you and your family.”
Sunak has already pledged to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by the end of the decade. Labour have said they will do the same, but only when the nation can afford it.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator, said: “Nothing the prime minister says will change the fact that over the past 14 years the Conservatives have brought costly chaos to the country, with this being the only parliament in living memory where people’s standard of living will be lower at the end of it than the beginning.
“The Tories crashed the economy by using the country for a giant and reckless economic experiment, for which the British people are still paying the price.
“Even as the prime minister speaks, others in his party are positioning themselves to replace him. The only way to stop the chaos, turn the page and start to renew is with a change of government.”