Britain has been warned that it is increasingly vulnerable to hostile powers and risks becoming “Belgium with nuclear weapons” unless ministers urgently reverse years of decline in defence spending.
In a dramatic intervention following the resignations of Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, General Sir Nick Carter, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, delivered one of the bleakest assessments yet of Britain’s military readiness.
Writing to The Times, the former head of the armed forces said the concerns raised by Healey’s resignation were “alarming” and warned that the country faces a level of danger not seen in decades.
“I cannot remember a time when the world was as dangerous as it is today,” Sir Nick wrote.
“Our country is vulnerable.”
His remarks will pile further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, whose authority has been shaken by a defence spending row that has already claimed two senior ministers and sparked questions about Britain’s ability to meet its commitments to Nato.
Healey resigned after accusing the Prime Minister and the Treasury of failing to provide the resources necessary to defend the country at a time of growing international threats.
In a devastating resignation letter, the former Defence Secretary said the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan “falls well short of what is required” and warned that ministers had failed to match rhetoric with resources.
Al Carns, the former Armed Forces minister and a decorated Royal Marines officer, followed him out of government hours later.
Carns warned that Britain was asking soldiers to operate in an increasingly dangerous world without providing the equipment or support they require.
“We ask soldiers to fight for this country,” he wrote.
“In return, we owe them the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it’s done. We are failing on both.”
The back-to-back resignations sent shockwaves through Westminster and triggered renewed scrutiny of the Government’s defence strategy.
Now Sir Nick has added his voice to the growing chorus of concern.
The former military chief highlighted Britain’s dependence on vulnerable infrastructure, noting that around 90 per cent of the country’s data passes through undersea cables while significant proportions of food and energy are imported from overseas.
He also warned that Britain remains under constant cyber attack from hostile actors targeting critical national infrastructure.
While Nato remains the cornerstone of Britain’s security, Sir Nick suggested the alliance itself would be weakened if other member states followed Britain’s approach to defence spending.
The most striking passage of his intervention was a warning that years of underinvestment risk reducing Britain to “Belgium with nuclear weapons” — a phrase previously used by military figures to describe a nation possessing strategic nuclear capabilities but lacking sufficient conventional military power.
For many defence analysts, the comment encapsulates a long-running concern that Britain’s armed forces have been steadily hollowed out despite increasingly volatile global threats.
The dispute centres on the delayed Defence Investment Plan, which is intended to map out military procurement, capability upgrades and infrastructure spending for the next decade.
Reports suggest the Ministry of Defence has been seeking an additional £28 billion over four years to meet its ambitions.
The Treasury, however, remains under pressure from competing demands across public services and a challenging fiscal outlook.
Responding to Healey’s resignation, Starmer acknowledged that defence spending must increase further but insisted his Government remains committed to strengthening Britain’s military capabilities.
He argued that the forthcoming investment plan would provide certainty for the armed forces and defence industry alike, while supporting jobs and economic growth.
“It will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe,” the Prime Minister said.
Yet critics argue that the central issue is no longer whether defence spending will rise, but whether it will rise quickly enough.
With war continuing in Ukraine, tensions mounting across the Middle East, and Nato warning of increasing Russian aggression, the debate has acquired new urgency.
For many in the defence community, Healey’s resignation represented more than a ministerial disagreement.
Sir Nick Carter’s intervention suggests it is now being viewed as a warning from within the national security establishment itself.
His final message was blunt.
“Our enemies are watching.”
For a Government already battling questions about its economic record, immigration policy and political authority, it is perhaps the most troubling warning of all.
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