A former Army officer has warned that Britain is "very badly prepared" to counter threats from hostile states, including Russia and Iran, as pressure mounts on the Government to increase defence spending.
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford, who served in the UK, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia during a 20-year military career, accused Labour of being "either unwilling or unable to fund defence properly".
Funding Cuts and Service Shortfalls
His comments follow criticism of the Government for cutting £2 billion from front-line Army equipment as part of a "funding re-prioritisation". The Army has also been told to halt non-essential training exercises to save money, while the Navy faces vessel shortages and the RAF struggles with aircraft and pilot shortfalls.
Chancellor John Healey is under pressure to increase defence spending to 3% of national income by 2030, rising to 3.5% by 2035. Lt Col Crawford said it should rise to 3% immediately and ideally to 5% by the end of the decade.
Welfare vs Defence Budget
He pointed to the scale of the welfare budget in making his case. Total UK welfare spending is forecast at around £333.7 billion for 2025/26, according to the House of Commons Library, against roughly £60.2 billion for defence, according to the Ministry of Defence.
"The annual welfare budget is almost six times the defence budget," he told the Express. "As an ex-military man, I cannot fathom how we are in this position. If defence isn't funded properly, and push comes to shove, we won't need a welfare budget, because we'll be under someone else's rule."
Immediate Threat Assessment
Lt Col Crawford said he did not share the view of some military commentators that war could come within three to five years, but added: "What if they're right?"
"We live in dangerous times," he said. "There's no doubt that we are being probed by Russia and perhaps other competitor states like China, North Korea and Iran, just to see what they can get away with."
"And then you've got Argentina rattling sabres over the Falklands again, China and Taiwan and India and Pakistan. We have to be prepared for what might come, and it might come in the quite immediate future."
The former army officer doubted the Government would find the money, citing pressure from MPs and fear of alienating voters. "I don't think backbenchers will let them use welfare funds for defence," he said. "If that's the case, the only way to fund it properly is to put up income tax, which everyone thinks is electoral suicide."
He likened defence spending to car insurance. "You have to have it, but you hope you never have to use it. At the moment, we are probably at the 'third party, fire and theft' end of the spectrum."
The Express has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
