Government undermining UK defence as Keir Starmer’s dithering blasted by MPs | UK | News
Prime Minister to finally unveil Defense Investment Plan (Image: Getty)
The government’s delay in publishing the Defense Investment Plan (DIP) undermines the UK government’s ability to provide a stronger deterrent to rivals, MPs have claimed. The Public Accounts Committee has warned that the long delay in the DIP risks squandering opportunities provided by advances in technology and hindering the government’s efforts to modernize the Armed Forces.
According to information obtained by the Daily Express, the plan, which was expected to be announced last autumn, was subject to a number of delays due to conflicts between the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Treasury. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, believes the excuses made for the delay “don’t cut it”, as a report by the group found the delays were seriously undermining the Department’s efforts to modernize the Armed Forces and achieve value for money for taxpayers.
Defense Investment Plan will determine how modernization will be financed (Image: Getty)
Sir Geoffrey said: “Those responsible may argue there are good reasons for the DIP’s continued absence, but our report makes clear that excuses to the effect of ‘taking time to get the details right’ just don’t cut it.
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“Whatever the content of the DIP, when it eventually emerged, the damage caused by its absence was to the credibility, security of the country, its Armed Forces and the certainty of its entire defense industrial base.
“Any government minister who tries to explain this delay to the DIP should instead ask himself what message the bureaucratic drift of the past months has sent to the public, the UK’s allies and enemies, and apologize.
“Whatever the government hopes to achieve with the DIP, this document has certainly earned the honor of being the most awaited document of my entire political career.
“As we are still awaiting publication at the time of writing, I know I speak for the defense interests of the whole of the UK when I say: this better be good.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted the plan, first promised in autumn 2025, would be published before the NATO summit in Türkiye, which starts on July 7.
The committee also expressed serious concerns about the decision to move forward with plans to put the beleaguered Ajax armored car into service, despite years of delays, excessive expenditure and injuries to soldiers.
The Ajax system was initially expected to be operational in 2017, but has experienced repeated disruptions due to concerns about the safety of the crew.
The vehicle was finally made fit for operations in November last year, but the exercise had to be stopped within a few weeks as soldiers experienced symptoms related to noise and vibration.
In its report, the Public Accounts Committee said the MOD maintained that “provided Ajax is operated and maintained correctly within its design parameters, there are no safety concerns”.
He said soldiers were instructed to carry out maintenance checks every time they stopped the vehicle, but the MOD “did not explain the feasibility of this for soldiers operating the Ajax for extended periods in combat”.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown added: “Our thoughts are with all those soldiers who reported symptoms of noise and vibration after operating these vehicles, and we were frankly stunned to hear officials explain that the proper use of the Ajax requires maintenance checks every time it is stopped.
“This is frankly an affront to intelligence and this advice will be of great benefit to our fighting men and women when they are called upon to use Ajax in combat. The Ministry of Defense must now explain how it will make Ajax fit for purpose and how much it will cost.”
The committee said: “Whether the Ajax armored vehicle is fit for purpose remains a matter of concern.
“Armored vehicles that harm soldiers when used outside strict parameters will be of little use on the modern battlefield.
“The Ministry has discussed a potential ‘Ajax 2’ recovery package, but there is a risk of having to spend more than planned in the hope of salvaging something from the Ajax programme.”
An MOD spokesman said the Government had delivered a “generational increase” in defense spending, providing an extra £270 billion to this Parliament.
The spokesman said: “The defense investment plan will fix the outdated, overburdened and underfunded program we inherited.
“We are working hard to finalize this. As the Defense Minister told Parliament this week, the Prime Minister is determined to publish it before the NATO Summit.”
