Defence Secretary admits he would like more money to defend Britain after Russia’s brazen display of military strength in the English Channel
The Defense Secretary has admitted he wants more money from the Treasury to protect Britain as the country faces a new era of threats.
John Healey pressed Chancellor Rachel Reeves the day after Russia’s sickening month-long plot to sabotage British submarine cables was revealed.
In a brazen show of disdain for British territorial waters, the Kremlin sent three submarines into the English Channel, daring Britain to respond militarily.
Vladimir Putin’s show of force has highlighted Britain’s chronic ship shortage, with Britain’s only existing destroyer, HMS Dragon, in the Eastern Mediterranean.
While Healey insists the government will spend more in coming years, billions of pounds of additional funding is needed today, defense sources say.
Speaking at the London Defense Conference this morning, Healey said: ‘Do I want more resources? Yes, I would. Every Minister of Defense would do this. Them [resources] will increase.
‘Yesterday was an important reminder that, while all eyes were on the conflict in the Middle East, the real threat is increasing Russian activities.
‘Yesterday we uncovered a failed covert Russian operation. We know Russia is operating deniably, we have seen cables in the Baltic cut by suspicious ships. Yesterday we told Putin, we see you, we expose you, if there is harm, it cannot be denied.
‘Are we ready for conflict? Yes we are. I think what we put out yesterday shows that. These were month-long operations involving 500 personnel, our pilots flew more than 450 hours, our frigates traveled 450 nautical miles, and we joined our allies, especially Norway, to publicize Putin’s covert submarine operations.
‘I hope this is an assurance to the public that we are keeping our eyes on Putin or the primary threat and that we have an Armed Forces that demonstrate the ability to deter, pursue and respond.’
As Royal Navy ships HMS St Albans and HMS Somerset pursued the Russian ship RFN Severomorsk in a separate operation, Defense Secretary John Healey admitted the UK had to respond to a pair of Russian spy submarines and an attack submarine invading the Channel.
But the Defense Secretary was unable to give a deadline for when the government would publish its long-delayed Defense Investment Plan, a blueprint for spending on the military over the next decade.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is personally involved in efforts to complete the DIP, but Healey was unable or unwilling to say when that would happen.
The DIP was supposed to be published following the publication of the Strategic Defense Review last year.
The Mail revealed the shortcomings in the defense provisions as part of setting the agenda for the Don’t Leave Britain Defensive campaign.
It is not the first time Healey has blamed the gutting of the UK armed forces by previous governments for the current state of the services.
He told the LDC it was dealing with issues that had festered during 14 years of Conservative and Conservative-led coalition government. He told the audience that when Labor left office in 2010, defense spending was higher than in the years of Tory administrations, the army was larger and there were more ships.
He added: ‘We won’t solve these problems overnight but we are making a start. ‘There has been the biggest sustained increase in defense spending under Labor since the Cold War and I hope the five will provide the confidence and certainty to make long-term decisions.’
