Defence Plan Falls Short by £13 Billion
Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer has finally unveiled the long overdue Defence Investment Plan, but critics say it is underfunded and arrives too late. The plan commits just £15 billion, significantly short of the £28 billion required to implement all 62 recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review.
General Sir Richard Barrons, one of the review's authors, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This plan is not going to crack the issue of ensuring Britain's security. In order to defend the UK sufficiently well, sufficiently quickly, more has to be done sooner, and that requires more money than is currently on the table."
Hybrid Navy: Scrapping Type 45 Destroyers
One controversial decision is to scrap the Royal Navy's Type 45 Destroyers and replace them with uncrewed Common Combat Vessels. Starmer cited Ukraine's success against Russia in the Black Sea despite having no navy as a case study. However, critics argue the Arctic and high north—where the UK would operate against Russia—are vastly different environments requiring crewed expertise.
The investment in drones and enhancement of the nuclear deterrent were positive, but the move to uncrewed vessels raises concerns. As one analyst put it: "This sphere should be the last place to automate, not the first."
Global Combat Air Programme: £8bn for Crewed Aircraft?
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a partnership with Japan and Italy to produce a next-generation crewed combat aircraft, received £8 billion. Yet with the rise of AI and uncrewed systems, doubts persist about whether pilots will still fly combat aircraft by the late 2030s when the programme matures.
Advocates highlight diplomatic benefits from collaboration, but critics label it "an expensive piece of diplomacy."
Ajax: Throwing Good Money After Bad
The plan allocates a further £1.1 billion to the troubled Ajax armoured vehicle programme between 2026-27 and 2029-30, despite it already costing £6.3 billion over 16 years since launch. Many hoped the plan would finally scrap the failed programme, but instead it reaffirmed the Ministry of Defence's commitment.
Reputation: Lagging Behind Allies
Perhaps the biggest danger is the message sent to allies and adversaries. Britain's defence spending will reach just 2.69% of GDP by 2030, trailing behind NATO allies. Former Defence Minister Al Carns warned Russia could attack within three years, and NATO warns of a potential threat by 2030.
General Sir Richard Barrons added: "We're not keeping up with our allies, we're certainly not keeping up with our enemies, and we know that the US is no longer going to come and save European security in the face of a Russian threat."
