UK faces ‘£28 billion defence funding shortfall’, top military chief warns Starmer
The Ministry of Defense will face a £28bn funding gap for the next four years, just days after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to send British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, according to reports.
Britain’s top military chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, is said to have told the Prime Minister that a Ministry of Defense assessment showed a deficit of £28bn between now and 2030. Times reports.
According to the newspaper, Sir Richard showed the Prime Minister the assessment at a meeting attended by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Defense Secretary John Heeley before Christmas.
The news may affect the delayed defense investment plan (Dip). It was originally expected to be held in the autumn and will determine how the strategic defense review will be carried out.
Last year Sir Keir vowed to make Britain “war ready” but despite warnings of the threat of an increasingly belligerent Russia, his defense plans have been overshadowed by a row over money.
A Government source said the UK was “on the right track” to meet the commitments set out in the review.
Sir Richard took over as Chief of the Defense Staff in September and is responsible for delivering the strategic defense review, published in June, as the UK pledges to increase defense spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
The review also set out a target of increasing spending to three per cent in the next Parliament “when financial and economic conditions permit”.
Britain and France this week signed a landmark agreement with Russia pledging to field troops in Ukraine as soon as any ceasefire comes into force.
The document, signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in Paris, was praised as a “significant step forward” in ensuring Kiev has security guarantees that will deter a future Russian invasion.
UK bases and military personnel also supported a US operation to seize an oil tanker in the Atlantic on Wednesday. The ship is said to be part of a “shadow fleet” trying to evade sanctions on Iranian oil.
Sir Keir met US President Donald Trump for the second time on Thursday; The two discussed the threat posed to the “High North” by an “increasingly aggressive” Russia.
MOD spokesman said Independent: “The UK’s defense budget is soaring to record levels as this government delivers the biggest increase in defense spending since the Cold War, totaling £270bn in this parliament alone.
“Defense demands are also increasing as Russia’s aggression increases, operational requirements increase, and preparations for the deployment of Ukraine increase.
“We are working hard on the Defense Investment Plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded defense program we inherited.”
