UK ‘in peril’ because of Starmer’s ‘corrosive complacency’ on defence, ex-Nato chief Lord Robertson warns

Sir Keir Starmer has shown a “corrosive indifference” to defense and the UK’s security is “at risk” as a result, a key government adviser has said.

Former NATO secretary-general Lord George Robertson, appointed by the Prime Minister to write the government’s Strategic Defense Review (SDR), will accuse “non-military experts” at the Treasury of “vandalism” in his speech on Tuesday and accuse Sir Keir of being “unwilling to make the necessary investment” in Britain’s defence.

The government has promised to publish a 10-year defense investment plan to fund the SDR, but has been beset by repeated delays amid warnings that the military faces a £28bn black hole in its funding over the next four years.

In a damning intervention, his Labor counterpart and former defense secretary will also take aim at Sir Keir Starmer’s failure to deal with a ballooning benefits bill, warning: “We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget.”

The speech came as a great shock because Lord Robertson had hitherto kept his advice and criticism strictly confidential and rarely spoke.

Amid increasing turbulence in the Middle East and ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Lord Robertson will say: “We are under-prepared. We are under-insured. We are under attack. We are unsafe… Britain’s national security and safety are at stake.”

according to Finance TimesHe will add: “There is a corrosive indifference in Britain’s political leadership today. Paying lip service to the risks, the threats, the bright red signals of danger – but not even the promised national debate on defence.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, another SDR writer, General Sir Richard Barrons, agreed with Lord Robertson: “In the world we live in now there is a huge gap between where we need to be to keep the country safe and where we actually are.”

He had previously warned that the army was so depleted that it could only “capture a small market town on a good day”.

The government has committed to spending 2.5 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2027; this figure will rise to 3 percent in the next parliament, and NATO has a target of 3.5 percent by 2035.

Sir Keir told MPs on Monday that the government was working to finalize its defense investment plan but did not want to repeat the mistakes of previous administrations because “we inherited plans that were unfunded and impossible to deliver”.

Lord Robertson’s intervention came just days after former defense secretary Ben Wallace accused ministers of “taking the public for fools” after current defense secretary John Healey insisted the UK was prepared to defend itself.

“The problem is that they won’t be able to take the tough political decisions… So we’re left with empty platitudes and partisan comments from Labor who think the solution is a diversion,” Sir Ben said. Independent throughout the weekend.

MPs on both sides of the House of Commons have already expressed concern over the government’s failure to publish the Defense Investment Plan.

By the way, the delay in HMS shipping was due to savings during the year. Dragon He traveled to Cyprus weeks after the Iran crisis began and Britain’s base on the island came under attack from Tehran.

In addition, question marks remain regarding the reduction of the British army to around 70,000 and the use of poor quality and outdated heavy vehicles and tanks.

A government spokesman said: “We are undertaking the Strategic Defense Review to meet the threats we face.

“This is underpinned by the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War, with investment totaling more than £270bn across Parliament.

“We are finalizing our defense investment plan, which we will publish as soon as possible, putting the best equipment and technology into the hands of our forces, rebuilding British industry to make defense the engine of growth and doubling down on our commitment to NATO.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she agreed “100 per cent” with Lord Robertson’s damning criticism.

He said: “We used to spend one in every seven pounds on social welfare. Now it’s one in every three pounds, and a lot of that money is basically spent on defence. The world is not as peaceful as it used to be. The peace dividend that existed after the fall of the Berlin Wall is gone. We need to spend more on defence.”

“This is a former Labor defense minister, former NATO secretary-general, saying the same things I’ve been saying for the last few weeks.”