Sir Keir Starmer’s delayed Defence Investment Plan has been fiercely criticised by James Cartlidge, as he declared it is “too little, too late”.
Speaking to GB News ahead the long-awaited plan’s publication, the Shadow Defence Secretary said the proposed funding for Britain’s defences is “very disappointing”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will reveal the details of the plan today, including a pledge of £5billion to focus on drones and automation.
Despite a negotiated £14.5billion increase, the plan falls short of the £28billion that military chiefs argued was necessary for full “war fighting readiness”.
Launching a scathing attack on the plan, Mr Cartlidge told GB News it is “disappointing” after waiting so long for it to be published.
He said: “I have been in the House of Commons at every oral questions for what feels like decades, saying to the Secretary of State, when is he going to publish a Defence Investment Plan? We’ve been waiting and waiting and it’s finally arrived, and frankly, it really is too little, too late.
“It’s pretty disappointing. The amount of money is barely only a smidge more than what John Healey resigned over because he said it wouldn’t make the country safe.”
Mr Cartlidge said the pledge to bolster the use of drones and tech will not come to fruition for several years.
He stressed: “The capabilities you’re hearing about, these drones and so on sounds impressive, but they’re not going to come into service until the 2030s, and yet the threat we face is today.
“So I think it’s very poor, and it reflects the fact that the Prime Minister has not prioritised defence, he’s prioritised a bigger welfare state, that’s where the money’s gone.”
Asked by host Ellie Costello on what the Tories would do differently on defence, Mr Cartlidge argued that they would use the “£400million destined for Mauritius and the Chagos deal on the Royal Navy”.
He explained: “Our view is if Chagos isn’t going to happen, let’s spend that money on the Royal Navy and use it to accelerate the manufacture and production of the 13 frigates which are being built in Scotland, the Type 26 and the Type 20, 30, and 31 frigates.
“The only way today we can deal with the lack of surface ships is to accelerate the build in Scotland, and also to shorten their sea trials and to take more risk.”
Mr Cartlidge accused Sir Keir of creating “procurement paralysis” with his delay in publishing the defence plan.
He told GB News: “This big gap, while we’ve been waiting for the Defence Investment Plan, has caused procurement paralysis. Nothing’s been happening and nothing’s going to be happening for years now, and that’s extraordinary.
“The lesson from Ukraine is you’ve got to move quickly, you’ve got to constantly upgrade your capabilities.”
The Shadow Defence Secretary urged the Prime Minister to “cut the welfare budget” to “increase defence spending”.
He said: “The country knows because the threats we face in Europe or conflict in the Middle East, we have got to increase defence spending, and the key to that is it’s got to come from somewhere.
“We’ve said repeatedly you’ve got to cut the welfare budget to do that. Whereas with Starmer, he’s been so unwilling to take those difficult decisions despite having 160 seat majority. That’s ultimately why I think he is now finishing his career as Prime Minister, because he wouldn’t take those decisions.
“And I hope that if Burnham does come in, we’ve had all this waffle yesterday, he recognises that if we want to have a strong economy and fund the armed forces, he is going to have to rein in the welfare state.”
