According to a report in The Times of London on Jan. 9, Britain’s most senior military chief has warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the Ministry of Defense is short £28 billion over the next four years, despite plans to boost spending. Defense chiefs are preparing to make huge cuts to the military while at the same time coming under pressure to ready the armed forces for possible war with Russia.
According to The Times, an MOD assessment made last year showed a £28 billion shortfall between now and 2030. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the chief of the defense staff, delivered the dire financial assessment to the prime minister in a meeting at Downing Street in the run-up to Christmas, a well-placed source said. Healey and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves were also present.
Starmer was said to be deeply unhappy because he believed the recent strategic defense review (SDR) had been “fully costed.” He ordered officials to rework the defense investment plan (DIP), which will set out how the SDR will be delivered. It had been meant to be published before Christmas, but it was quietly pushed back to this year. Higher inflation, pay rises for troops, and the cost of the nuclear deterrent are being blamed for the huge hole in finances.
