The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a £3.7 million entry linked to Project Rarden in its latest accounts was incorrectly labelled and does not relate to any active armoured vehicle programme.
The Ministry of Defence has acknowledged that references to Project Rarden in its 2024–25 annual accounts were made in error, confirming that the project itself has seen no activity or spending for at least a decade. In a written response to Parliament, defence minister Luke Pollard said Project Rarden was a legacy programme dating back to the introduction of the Rarden cannon in the 1970s, and that no funding had been allocated to it in recent years.
“There has been no money spent or specific work carried out under Project Rarden in the last ten years,” Pollard said, adding that no further financial data exists prior to that period.
The clarification follows scrutiny of a £3.777 million constructive loss listed against Project Rarden in the Ministry of Defence’s accounts, which raised questions over whether funding had been allocated to a long-defunct armoured fighting vehicle programme. Pollard confirmed that the reference to Project Rarden was incorrect and would be amended, explaining that the accounting entry instead related to an ammunition capability programme.
“The reference to Project Rarden in the 2024–2025 Ministry of Defence Accounts is an error – this will be corrected,” he said.
According to the minister, the sum relates to work on an Armoured Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) munition, which was funded separately from any vehicle or cannon development. The constructive loss reflects Defence’s decision not to proceed with procurement following initial trials.
“The constructive loss of circa £3.7 million is a result of Defence choosing not to pursue procurement of the APFSDS munition following initial trials,” Pollard told MPs.
Hardly gives one confidence in anything they put into accounts or military outlay does it when something so relatively ancient as the Rarden somehow gets resurrected and included in present day accounts. My close friend drew up the initial drawings for the Rarden back in the day, he is 86 now. I await with enthusiasm to see if project Spitfire and Project Matilda or even perhaps Project Maxim crop up to account for apparent nebulous increases in Defence outlays. In fact I suspect you might even get ongoing costs for the supply of troops with woad with this Govt. Long drawn out defence reviews and delays to the spending plan, yet it seems no one is even double checking basic errors in their current accounts. No wonder no one knows where the money is going.