Labour's defence spending plans have been lambasted by former Defence Secretary John Healey, who fears that the UK's adversaries will not be deterred by Treasury timetables. In a stern warning to parliament, Healey cautioned that unless defence spending is significantly increased, Britain risks falling behind its Nato allies and compromising national security.
The government faces mounting pressure to boost defence expenditure in line with the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which aims to incrementally raise defence spending from 2.6% of GDP to 3%. However, a draft version of the plan has been criticised for only projecting an eight-percentage-point increase in defence spending by 2030 – a figure described by Healey as 'woefully inadequate'.
Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton shares similar concerns, warning that unless additional funding is forthcoming, the armed forces will be forced to curtail vital training and operational activities. The Ministry of Defence has set a critical deadline of 7 July for publication of the DIP, coinciding with the next Nato summit – an event likely to focus attention on member states' defence commitments.