Politics latest: MoD told to find £11bn of cuts under Starmer’s defence investment plan

Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis has denied reports that there are current differences among the chiefs of staff over the defense investment plan (DIP).

Liberal Democrat Al Pinkerton asked Mr Jarvis to respond to reports that the chief of defense staff had told him to remove a line from his speech saying they supported the DIP.

Mr Jarvis simply replied: “That’s not true. All the chiefs support the DIP.”

Members of the House of Commons audibly groaned as Dan Jarvis responded to a question from Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) about the “unspecified” spending commitments made in the defense investment plan (DIP) from 2030 to 2035.

“This is a tale of two DIPs,” Mr. Martin said. “The first DIP covers the period until approximately 2030 on the current spending trajectory, and the second DIP covers the period slightly beyond that, from 2030 to 2035.

“The former has detailed spending commitments, the latter has rather vague spending commitments,” he explains. “So can the Secretary of State, whoever he is at that point, assure the House on behalf of the government that the treasury has guaranteed these figures and that they will be included in the next spending review?

“So the defense chapter of the next spending review has already been written?”

Mr Jarvis said: “While I have great respect for him, I know he will understand that it is not my place to give guarantees on behalf of other government departments, including the Treasury.

“I don’t think any minister other than the Treasury would be in a position to do that,” he said. “What I can assure him is that, in the time available to me, I have examined very carefully the mix of capabilities included in the plan, making a number of changes to deliver the capabilities I think are required as soon as possible.

“Does that involve making some difficult, difficult choices? Yes, it does. Does it involve cutting off some talent? Yes, it does.”

Dan Jarvis continues to dodge questions about whether Makerfield MP Andy Burnham, who is likely to be the next prime minister, has any signature or interaction with the defense investment plan.

Answering an MP’s question about whether Mr Burnham had signed it and whether Mr Jarvis could “give us much more confidence in industry, in our enemies, in markets and in the whole country”, Jarvis said: “I can be confident because I can be confident in the long-standing history of Labor governments investing in defence, which gives me confidence.”

Alex Baker, the Labor MP for Aldershot, home of the British Army, highlighted concerns that his constituency still lacks the industrial capacity to spend the money invested.

“I am confident that we will deliver on this commitment in the context of the next spending review and the down payment on the future of towns like mine in Aldershot and Farnborough.

“But even though we are arguing on the ground over GDP percentages, we still lack the industrial capacity to actually spend this money and build more defense companies in my region and across the supply chain, we cannot access the finance they need to hire more people and expand production.

“That’s why I’ve been campaigning for over a year for the UK to join the defense security and resilience bank,” he said.

“Is the secretary of state aware of this challenge and what will we do to increase our industrial capacity?”

Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis told MPs the success of the defense investment plan (Dip) will be judged by whether those in the armed forces support it.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, he said: “Ultimately, the success of this defense investment plan will be measured by whether it has the support of the amazing men and women who serve in our armed forces.

“They continue to be our most important asset, respected by those who stand with us and feared by those who stand against us. We know that they are equal to every task, and with this defense investment plan, we give them the opportunity to meet their courage.”

Mr Jarvis thanked the prime minister and the chancellor “for their support and the spirit of goodwill that has guided our negotiations over the past fortnight”.

He said: “For two years they have demonstrated a resolute commitment to our national security, and as a result our armed forces are better prepared and better supported today.”

He also paid tribute to his predecessor John Healey, highlighting that a further £1.5 billion had been raised for defense between his resignation and the publication of The Bottom.

John Healey said he welcomed the extra money given by the treasury since leaving his role as defense minister but said more needed to be done to meet the three per cent target.

“But threats are still increasing, demands on defense are still increasing in this dangerous world, and our action today means that as a country we will spend 2.7 percent of GDP on defense by 2030, when NATO has warned we could face a Russian attack.

“So, with Europe’s security at stake, do my dear friends agree that more needs to be done in the coming months to develop a clear and reliable financing plan, beyond the decline, to hit 3 percent and meet our NATO commitment of 3.5 percent by 2035?”

James Cartlidge has come forward to criticize the defense investment plan (DIP), which he said was merely the result of a “desperate search for a legacy”.

“As a result, after months of hesitation and delay, it took an abrupt end to his premiership for the prime minister to finally issue the DIP in a desperate search for a legacy of failure.”

Millie Cooke, political reporter

The Ministry of Defense will invest £330 million in protecting critical underwater infrastructure to combat hostile activity in and around UK waters, as well as spend an additional £1.5 billion over the next four years on Atlantic Bastion, the Royal Navy’s plan for the UK and NATO to defend the North Atlantic against “the persistent and growing underwater threat of a modernizing Russian submarine force”.

Entering service in December 2025, Atlantic Bastion forms an “advanced hybrid naval force to defend the UK and NATO allies against evolving threats.”

DIP said the additional £1.5bn of funding would “enable the UK to locate, track and, if necessary, act against rivals across vast areas of the ocean with unprecedented efficiency.”

The statement comes after the UK responded to “increased Russian activity” near key UK cables and pipelines in the north Atlantic in April this year.

Millie Cooke, political reporter

Sir Keir said investment to “renew” the UK’s nuclear deterrent would include spending on new Dreadnought submarines, a new sovereign warhead and 12 F35-A jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

The new Dreadnought submarines will replace the current Vanguard class with four boats from the 2030s. Sir Keir, on the other hand, announced plans to purchase nuclear-capable jets at the NATO summit in The Hague last year.

Some of the money for the nuclear deterrent will also form part of a ten-year, £26bn overhaul of naval bases at Faslane, Portsmouth and Devonport, called the “Royal Oak Project”.

“The SDR made clear that a modernized nuclear deterrent is essential to the defense of the UK.

“DIP supports our security in a new nuclear era and deteriorating security environment characterized by Russia’s aggression, China’s nuclear expansion, and North Korea’s destabilizing weapons program,” he said.

“As one of the three nuclear powers in NATO, the United Kingdom provides the ultimate guarantee of its security and that of its NATO allies. We are the only European country to declare a nuclear deterrent to NATO.”