Tom Tugendhat MP used the Commons exchange on the Yantar incident to issue one of the starkest warnings yet heard in the chamber about the condition of the UK’s armed forces.
Drawing on his time inside the Ministry of Defence, he argued that the country is facing a more dangerous world with a shrinking force structure and repeated failures to turn public commitments into delivered capability.
Tugendhat began by thanking the intelligence specialists who helped identify and track the Russian vessel, saying they had understood its capabilities “a long time before anybody else arrived on the scene.” But he quickly pivoted to a wider point about the gap between political announcements and practical delivery.
“We’ve both seen governments of every colour making decisions and statements that sound good on the day, but then seeing the reality of lack of kit coming through,” he said, listing his experience under Labour and Conservative governments alike.
He warned that “the world has changed” and that the UK is “much, much more vulnerable today than we have been,” citing the fact that the country now has “fewer ships at sea, fewer men at uniform, and fewer planes in the air than we have at any time.” Tugendhat also questioned the credibility of the government’s trajectory toward a three percent GDP defence target, saying it remains “always on the never, never.” He urged ministers to avoid repeating past failures and to confront the scale of the challenge now facing UK defence.
Responding, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns accepted the thrust of the point. “The honourable and gallant member raises a really valid point,” he said, while insisting that ministers had already begun to reshape the force. Carns argued that the issue is “not just about buying or investing in the same capability, it’s about rebuilding and reshaping our armed forces to fight not yesterday’s war, but the war in the future.”
He highlighted investment in autonomous systems and the emergence of new British drone factories, describing drones as a “seedcorn capability that can expand rapidly at times of conflict.”
Funny when they point out the obvious at the most critical time.
And sorry but at the critical turning point in history when in power the Conservative Party and MPs did nothing.. between 2009 and 2010 two things became obvious due to actions and messages
1) Putins Russia was an imperialistic nightmare that was happy to go to war with its neighbours for land and power…
2) china was not integrating with the west and it wanted primacy of all the china seas contrary to the western world order..
This was enough of a clue that we were heading into a new multi polar world and would be in conflict with at least two not insignificant powers
Then we get to 2014… at this point it’s clear to everyone and his dog the west, Russia and china are on collision course and a Cold War mentality is needed at that point.. in 2014 there should have been a plan for a return to a minimum 32 escort navy and 12 front line fighter squadrons, the 6 army brigades should have been all deployable and its should have been moving to 7 brigades… three proper armoured brigades, 3 mech infantry brigades and an light infantry air mobile brigade… the nuclear deterrent should have been moved to a proper MAD strategic deterrent with a sub strategic deterrent. Strategic air should have been strengthened with 12 AEW aircraft and 24 MPAs, there should have been a plan for 20 lighter RN patrol and minewarfare vessels and the preservation of the ability to put a marine brigade by sea anywhere in the high north.
.. Wonder what he was doing in the last government… Anything but spending on our ships and aircraft.
To be fair T26 and T31 did get ordered after Brown then Camerloon held off ordering them.
MRSS would have been ordered if the initial competition hadn’t been derailed.
Aircraft… We were planning to retire 41 Tranche 1 Typhoons, his lot could’ve place the order to replace them with FGR3s or FGR4s.
We’re still paying for F35
He was very active, very vocal asking for increased defence spending etc. I’ve never voted Tory, but Tom is a really decent bloke.
You need to buckle down and appreciate what did happen not sweeping nonsense and just looking back and saying they didnt do this that or the other doesnt add any value to today’s proper argument of what needs to happen now
Every party since the end of the Cold war has been an abject failure when it comes to defence. And no one seems very concerned about it. The UK has witnessed a major European land war for almost 4 years and has basically done nothing to improve its defensive posture. It’s criminal.
The shivers of fear have returned to Westminster, some eighty-plus years since pre second WW2. Churchill was a constant thorn in Chamberlain’s side until the realisation of Hitler’s intent was clear. Today, a handful of PMs are askingng awkward questions about the state of the UK defences, only to be batted off with empty promises. We could be just days away from direct military action against Russian vessels in our waters, which could escalate beyond our control. The key question, is this current government ready to manage the situation and come clean to the British people about our current military status?
If any other foreign actor had done this to our forces it would be staggering losses, but it seems more like treason from our main parties. It’s almost like they want us to become a satellite of Russia or China. Their first priority seems to be far more guaranteeing increasing riches for the super rich than the security of the nation, our freedoms & the services vital to most. Yet we’re still courting investment from China, a global threat to peace & liberty.