Sir Keir Starmer’s “woefully inadequate” defence plan has been handed a stark takedown by the former Head of the British Army.
Speaking to GB News, Lord Richard Dannatt accused the Prime Minister of choosing the “cheap option” with his “dither and delay” in publishing the Defence Investment Plan.
The plan, which sets out a £14.5billion increase in spending, still falls short of the £28billion that former Defence Secretary John Healey and ex-Armed Forces Minister Al Carns declared was necessary, triggering their resignations earlier this month.
Sir Keir Starmer is set to reveal the details of the plan today, which includes a £5billion fund for drones and automation.
Delivering his verdict on the plan, Lord Dannatt told GB News that the country has waited “far too long” for it to be published.
He said: “We haven’t got the full details of it, but £5billion is not the £28billion that the service chiefs have been asking for, and that’s the figure which would get us somewhere near the three per cent of GDP that Keir Starmer was talking about in February at the Munich Security Conference.
“So this is a step in the right direction, but it’s not the quantum of increase that our nation demands and our allies are calling for.”
Lord Dannatt highlighted the “irony” of the plan had it been published earlier with the necessary increase in defence spending.
He argued: “If they got on with this a year ago and put a in sensible amount of money, John Healey would still be Secretary of State for defence, and Keir Starmer wouldn’t have come under the pressure that is ultimately going to lead him to the exit of No10.
“So inaction has consequences, and for Keir Starmer, the consequences, his losing his job.”
The ex-British Army head told GB News that the Government must invest in “all forms of warfare” and not choose the “cheap option” which is currently being proposed.
He said: “We need investment in our Navy, in our Army, our Air Force, in cyber and all the other forms of of warfare. You can’t get away with a cheap option.
“This is one of the sadnesses really, having wasted a year coming up with a Strategic Defence Review, we’ve now had to wait another year for the Defence Investment Plan, which itself is woefully inadequate to finance the defence review that they signed off last year.”
Lord Dannatt made clear that the issues facing the Labour Government on defence are “entirely of their own making”.
He told GB News: “Dither and delay has led to insecurity, it’s led to the Defence Secretary resigning and has led to the Prime Minister losing his job, and this is entirely of their own making.
“Frankly, if Andy Burnham thinks this problem is going to go away, it’s not going to go away.”
Lord Dannatt issued a stark warning to the Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham, urging him to stop the Government from “brushing this under the carpet” any longer.
He said: “If Andy Burnham thinks this is going to go away as a result of today, he’s got another thing coming because the defence lobby voice will remain loud, arguing the case quite clearly.
“We’ve got to properly look after the security of this country, properly look after the security of Europe, and that requires more like the figure that the professionals were calling for, which is about £28billion to get us up to this three per cent.
“These problems have got to be grasped, they can’t be brushed under the carpet, as has been going on for far too long at the top end of Government.”
