The Ministry of Defence has said it is working flat out to publish its long-awaited Defence Investment Plan, claiming that major capability programmes are being managed to avoid unnecessary delay.
In a series of written parliamentary answers, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the department continues to oversee programmes including the Global Combat Air Programme, artillery modernisation, uncrewed systems and directed energy weapons while the plan is finalised. He described the Defence Investment Plan as the first comprehensive review of defence programmes in 18 years and said it is backed by the government’s largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with £270 billion committed during this Parliament.
Pollard stated that Defence is continuing to manage its capabilities to ensure they are not “unnecessarily impacted or delayed” while the plan is developed, adding that it would be published “as soon as possible”.
However, the extended timetable has prompted concern across parts of the defence industrial base, with industry bodies and trade unions warning that prolonged uncertainty risks affecting investment decisions and workforce planning.
Unite the union has argued that delays to the Defence Investment Plan are creating instability for manufacturers and suppliers, particularly those supporting complex long-term programmes. The union has warned that without a clear investment signal from government, companies may struggle to justify capital investment, retain specialist skills or plan future recruitment in areas such as aerospace, land systems and advanced manufacturing.
Industry has also pointed to the absence of firm programme direction as a challenge for long-lead procurement and supply chain readiness. Some firms have privately raised concerns that uncertainty around future funding profiles makes it harder to commit to expanding production capacity or sustaining skilled workforces, particularly where programmes rely on consistent demand over many years.
Has anyone said why the DIP has been delayed seemingly by at least 4 months? Is it because of the Ajax fiasco or has it anything to do with CDS effectively saying he needs another £28bn to deliver current programme and that future programme outlined by SDR?
The AJAX fiasco is just an excuse for delaying DIP.
It could be left to one side with a conditional caveat.
The real issue is that the left of the Labour Party will go nuts at the cuts required to fund the necessary increases. The AJAX fiasco plays into theirs and Treasury hands with the usual Treasury ditty that most of the money given to MoD is wasted – we all know that the vast majority is very well spent. In fact proportionally far better spent than money to NHS – there the wastage on failed projects is unbelievable and most of them just continue to be funded rather than cut.
The rumour mill has it down to an unwillingness by the government to cough up the money that a reasonable Defence Investment Plan requires, which seems plausible given how wedded it is to escalating spending in other areas. But who knows?
Unfortunately Starmer is up against a rock and a hard place.
They need to get spending to 3% now, we know that, they know that, but he can’t, because his back benches will block any raids on the vast and bloated welfare budget..
He’s a rabbit caught in the headlights, does he go head to head with the left, or attack middle England again??
So the DIP is continually kicked down the road until somone makes a decision….
We can just print the money. Any financial stimulous will cause a certain amount of growth and a certain amount of inflation. Given the current situation, the level of unemployment and the readiness of industry to expand, I have no doubt that the increase in inflation will be negligible and growth will be the primary result. Stop buying into the austerity agenda that says you have to pay for one thing by cutting another. You can expand the economy instead. An outcome the government espouses but is too risk averse to act on.
Just as I warned years ago.
You vote Labour, with the left of that party, you get this.
Ideologically, I suggest the left of Labour are utterly allergic to defence, and more in line with Stop the War, CND, SWP, and Palestine.
I was “assured” on here years ago that my concerns would have no bearing and that Starmer isn’t influenced.
Right….how many U turns after the usual suspects rebel?
Even worse if Burnham gets in.
Indeed, a party that was lead by grandad Jeremy Corbyn until recently…..his supporters still hold a lot of influence in PLP.
Let’s face it, even Blair didn’t fund defence: he plundered it whilst fighting wars..
The influence of the left of the Labour Party is over-stated. It is numerically a good bit smaller than in previous times. Its aversion to defence is countered by the unions, which want defence jobs and therefore orders.
Starmer has gone for the middle ground, a fair boost to defence spending but not at the expense of welfare spend on schools, housing. NhS etc al.
Net result is that defence budget will increase 22%, from.£60.2bn in 24/5 to £73.6bn in.28/9. We would all love more and defence needs more, but that’s all that’s on the table.
Compare and.contrast with the Conservatives, who are presently jumping up and down in the House cslling for more for defence – after slashing defence for 14 years to get us into the current mess. Defence spend fell 22% between 2009/10 and 2017/18, because the Conservatives priority is always cutting public expenditure, In order to reduce the tax burden for the better-off. They can shout about defence now they are in opposition, but you woild have to be a brave gambler to put money on them actually spending more if they ever return to power.
Agree on the Tories record.
On the Labour increases, remember to detract all that’s been placed in the budget and called defence spending to meet NATO targets.
I’d love a minister to admit how much is then left for conventional forces. I feel a FOIA coming on…..
Where are the orders?
If the unions are so influential, and the left not so, why all the U turns since taking power?
And where is the extra Typhoon order?
The cabinet are scared shitless of the left of their party ( and so am I…) and many of their seats hang by a thread as a result of the Tory vote spilt by the rise of Reform.
Otherwise they’d not even be there.
Yes, I helped cause that, as I’m not voting Tory again for the very reasons you list.