Labour’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is “falling apart” less than 24 hours after its release, critics have claimed, after defence minister Luke Pollard was forced to concede that the government would delay planned improvements to defence housing in order to fund defence readiness.
Minister Admits Housing Budget Shift
Minister for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard admitted that the measure was necessary to ensure the government could reach the £15bn figure it had pledged to invest in Britain’s Armed Forces. Pollard dodged questions on the possibility of deferring projects into the 2030s, referencing the government’s work to improve the worst 1,200 homes on the military estate and plans to improve married quarters and single living accommodation, when questioned by reporters.
However, he conceded this morning: “A small amount of the money in the defence housing budget has been moved into the next parliament so we could prioritise the military readiness for our forces now. That was the right tough decision that we’ve taken.”
Opposition Blasts U-Turn
The announcement has been blasted by his opposite number, who claimed that government ministers were now rowing back on pledges not to allow the delayed DIP to impact work to improve military homes. Shadow Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois told the Daily Express: “Labour’s new defence plan is already unravelling, within 24 hours. We have just spent five months debating Armed Forces accommodation, in the Armed Forces Bill.
“Throughout, both MoD officials and Labour MPs staunchly denied they would raid future housing budgets to make up for shortfalls in the DIP - and now they've done exactly that. The DIP paper, incredibly, actually contains a ‘disclaimer’, saying that nothing in the document is guaranteed - and now we know why! It’s a shambles.”
Housing as a Retention Tool
Discussing the quality of military accommodation whilst in opposition, Pollard said: “Many of our armed forces community are having to put up with broken boilers, water pouring into homes, mould, vermin and endless waits for basic repairs. They deserve better than this.” The government has made improvements to military accommodation a cornerstone of their effort to improve retention within the Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence has pledged to invest more than £8bn in military accommodation in this Parliament to tackle what it calls “the poor state of forces accommodation across the country.” Last year Pollard told the Sunday Times that poor quality of housing was a key factor in forcing many talented troops to leave the forces.
He said: “We are losing people with skills and expertise that we may need at any moment to defend our country and allies. And we’re losing them, not because people are retiring at the end of a full career, but needlessly, because we haven’t invested in the basics.”
The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment.
