Today Labour announced their Strategic Defence Review with no plan of how to fund it.
The review's diagnosis is correct. We live in more dangerous times and must move to war-fighting readiness. I welcome the promise to double investment in autonomous systems which is good news for local defence companies such as Thales and Helsing. The reality, however, is that today’s announcement fails to meet the scale of the challenge we face.
Despite being pressed time and again, Starmer refuses to say when he will spend 3% of GDP on defence, calling it an 'ambition'. Goals without plans are just wishes.
Just £10bn has been provided to fund the review - less than the Chagos Deal he signed.
The Conservative Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge summed it up in three words. Overdue, underfunded and underwhelming.
As it stands, Labour's Defence Review amounts to a stalling tactic. Since Labour entered office the MoD have procured just 3 reconnaissance drones. While the defence budgets of other European countries have overtaken Britain, Labour Ministers have lauded the defence review - is this it?
Defence matters to my constituents. South West Devon has one of the finest military heritages in the nation. Within its boundaries are RM Bickleigh - home of 42 Commando - more than 2,000 Babcock employees and many more serving personnel. Labour have sold them short.
