Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge used Defence Questions in Parliament to press the government on the Defence Investment Plan, questioning whether the Ministry of Defence would keep its promise to publish it this autumn.
Cartlidge asked, “In the Secretary of State’s strategic defence review statement to Parliament on 2 June, he said that the defence investment plan would be ‘completed and published in the autumn.’ Will he keep that promise?”
Defence Secretary John Healey replied that the work was ongoing, insisting the plan was being prepared “thoroughly” to avoid repeating the financial mismanagement of recent years. “The SDR quite rightly said that further decisions on investment plans were central to delivering the SDR. We are doing that work thoroughly at the moment so that we will no longer have what the hon. Member’s Government left: a defence programme that was overcommitted, underfunded and unsuited to meet the threats that face us.”
Cartlidge accused the government of delays and cuts to the armed forces, arguing that Labour had failed to deliver any concrete results since taking office. “The Secretary of State did not answer the question. I am afraid the worry is that it is yet another delayed defence Command Paper. That prompts the obvious question: what exactly are the Government delivering for defence except delayed defence Command Papers? Is not this the truth: they are putting the British Army back in the dock, they are surrendering Diego Garcia for £35 billion, and all the while—they have not denied this today—they are cutting £2.6 billion from the frontline this year? Don’t the men and women of our armed forces deserve better?”
Healey rejected those claims, saying the figures were wrong and highlighting new spending commitments. “The hon. Member’s figures are wrong, and his characterisation and description are wrong. We have put £5 billion extra into the defence budget in this, our first year, and we are raising defence investment with the highest increase since the cold war. But the public expect us to manage better the budgets that we have got, so we are managing those budgets, which he failed to do.”
He added that the government was already acting on the Strategic Defence Review, with “over 1,000 major contracts” awarded, “84% of them to British firms,” and announced new investment of £9 billion to modernise and rebuild service housing.
“Over 1000 major contracts awarded”.
Erm, anyone got a list ?
He’s probably adding up all the cleaning, catering and stationary suppliers.
‘The public expect us to manage better the budget we we have got, so we are managing those budgets’
Could go both ways tbh, but not really encouraging.
Could the UK Government be committing treason by not responding to the nations defence needs?
Nope HMG essentially operates sovereignty so all decisions are sovereign decisions including not defending itself properly… in theory the king could say HMG is no longer acting in his sovereign interests.. but that would break the constitution and essentially revert the UK back to a monarchy and I would lay bets on how quickly the UK entered a state of civil war at that point… probably hours not days.
Technically, it’s Parliament that’s sovereign, but Parliament is as wholly useless at holding the Government to account as the Government is at running the country. The Crown in Parliament could demand an accounting from the Government without breaking the constitution, despite its mostly ceremonial role. The King pronouncing as monarch, as you say, would be a bit dodgy.
I am surprised no “journalist” has challenged Prit Patel considering how honest she is on where she got her £35 billion figure from for Diego Garcia.
It’s nonsense like this where the Greens claimed that Trident subs cost £100 billion or that AUKUS subs cost $300 billion and the F35 cost $2 trillion that damage defence spending and reduce public support for vitally needed procurement.
Strangely enough no one ever applies the same logic to NHS and pensions, the NHS will cost £84 Trillion on the same made up numbers.
You’re the man for the job Jim, Go for it !
Well actually the NHS and pensions would essentially take an infinite level of money because there is no defined end to them 😵💫
Yes, much the same as a 200 year theoretical lease on Diego Garcia.
Worth remembering due to ocean rising the island will be under water long before the 23rd century. Not sure Priti factored that in 😀
In the blue corner we have I’m so Priti Patel and in the red corner we have I’m FanZackstic Polasnski. Heaven help us.
Yes, I’m stuck in the middle with you and I don’t what I should do, clowns to the left of me jokers to the right 😀
Onwards, onwards into the valley of death 😂
Ride between them. For example Starmer needs to accept that fanatics like Ed Millband are a liability.
And also that ‘our’ Bevanite NHS is probably past its sell by date. People routinely fork out £2-300 per month to lease a car. The average per person cost of a foreign holiday is over £1300. I am about to pay £800 for 4 new tyres. People need to recalibrate. It’s not 1948. I would gladly pay £50 to see a GP rather than a web triage app. The relationship is everything.
The govt is getting its financial ducks in a row. The publication of the defence investment plan must be shown to reconcile with the budget. On a broader note, how Ms Reeves budget goes down will determine whether labour wins a second term. She is having to counter negative forces on all sides: the outgoing govt set a trap by cutting employees NI – break your manifesto promise or cripple growth – and having fixed the Tory ‘black hole’ her own party’s MPs recreated it by rebelling against substantial but reasonable benefits cuts. Welcome to the UK, where shooting yourself in the foot is cross party national tradition.
A week is a long time in politics. If Starmer can hold his nerve, the next budget will be long forgotten by the next election.
Agree. Starmer was at the end of the queue when the charisma was being handed out but near the front when it came holding your nerve. Had to smile when Reeves said she must face the world as it is not as she would wish it to be. Decoded, I read that as ‘labour left wing socialist MPs are prepared sink the ship if I propose cutting benefits’. Pity really: I believe Reeves personal values are moulded by a Christian upbringing. She understands that benefits must be accompanied by individual responsibility. As my grandmother used to say, the Lord helps those who help themselves.
So in that whaffle it means there really is no money and its being dragged out for that reason. No major kit ordered in 16 months, Yes many support contracts, warm words on housing etc, Lots of projects and a few trials but no new or replacement kit. Will that change, sadlyi feel not there will be a lot statements, press re releases but not a lot else. Its the soldiers who loose out, get bored and sadly if called to use the rubbish we have left will pay the price. And stand by the word rubbish as it mostly 40 years old, weorn out and run down with not much ammo in reserve.
Thats not hating on the Army its genuine worry about lives at risk from neglect.
A rather worrying commentary from Navy Lookout that the 3 Type 26s sold to Norway won’t be backfilled for the RN. Would it actually take an attack by a foreign power on the UK for the treasury to take defence seriously? It beggars belief.
Year on year since Labour came to power the national debt has gone up from just over 2.5 trillion to just over 2.7 trillion.Five thousand a day signing on to P.I.PS benefits,mostly minor mental health issues and mad red Ed doing his best to bankrupt us with his drive to net zero emissions.There is very little ambition to boost our armed forces as it is simply not a vote winner.As Patrick says it will take an attack by a foreign power on us to make the politicians wake up and smell the coffee.Unbelievable
TLDR; No he won’t.