Plans to replace Britain's ageing warships have reportedly been scrapped from the long-delayed defence investment plan as part of changes aimed at prioritising drones and modernising the armed forces.
Funding for up to eight Type 83 destroyers and five Type 32 frigates will not appear in the spending blueprint which Sir Keir Starmer will unveil within days as he tries to shore up his legacy before leaving No 10, The Sunday Times reported.
Extra Funding Secured
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis is understood to have secured around £1 billion extra for the plan after his predecessor John Healey resigned in protest over a funding row earlier this month.
The increase would take the total settlement to at least £14.5 billion, an uplift on the £13.5 billion offer rejected by Mr Healey but still short of the £28 billion officials previously said was needed.
Speaking to broadcasters on Sunday morning, Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the UK needed to prepare for the potential conflicts of the future rather than “whatever the last war was like”.
He told Sky News’s Sunday With Trevor Phillips the defence investment plan (Dip) was “days away” but that he had “no idea” whether Sir Keir’s likely successor, Andy Burnham, had signed off on the plans, as has been reported.
Criticism and Concerns
Opposition critics have described the extra funding secured by Mr Jarvis as a “drop in the ocean” while a former chief of the defence staff said Mr Burnham may need to find more money for the military in the course of the current Parliament.
“That’s the big issue and whether it’s this Prime Minister or the next Prime Minister, if we get an announcement of additional money, well, we should always welcome that,” Admiral Sir Tony Radakin told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
“But if it’s not enough, then it may be that the new prime minister is going to have to find that money as part of the course of this Parliament.”
Sir Tony also said that the UK finds itself in the “unprecedented” and “unusual position” of being second from the bottom in a Nato league table that ranks member states based on how they are meeting hitting the alliance’s capability requirements.
He added: “That needs to be resolved, we need to play our part, we need to keep the UK safe, we need to keep our alliance partners safe.”
Government Response
Asked whether he thought the military was “whining” about funding, the Housing Secretary said “no”, adding: “It’s absolutely right that the military should be making their case and pushing for the investment that they want to see.
“But I would just remind them, and the country, the biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. It’s not a bad start, but we’re not stopping at that.”
It comes after a £500 million funding package was promised to the UK’s commandos under changes to the Dip drawn up by Mr Jarvis as he seeks to put his stamp on the long-awaited blueprint.
High-speed boats and strike drones will be committed to the elite force, with a focus on the High North – which includes the Arctic Circle and nearby areas – in the face of rising Russian activity in the region.
Officials said Mr Jarvis has “shifted” the focus of spending in the Dip since he became Defence Secretary earlier this month towards providing kit to troops on the front line.
The funding will partly go towards new high-speed commando insertion craft – special vessels used to covertly transport troops from the rapid-response force – which officials said could be used for operations including the seizure of Russian shadow fleet vessels.
It comes after Royal Marine commandos helped intercept the tanker Smyrtos in the Channel early on Sunday in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned ship earlier this month.
The Dip was originally due last year, but has been held back amid wrangling within Government over the amount of money required to finance the military.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will press ahead with publishing the document before the July 7 Nato summit, despite major policy and spending commitments being paused across Government more widely.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are delivering a generational increase in defence spending, with an extra £270 billion across this Parliament.
“The defence investment plan will deliver the best kit into the hands of our armed forces. Work on the plan is continuing at pace to finalise and publish it ahead of the Nato summit.”
