Andy Burnham is wasting a year Britain cannot afford to lose by delaying a decision on funding the armed forces, the former head of the Army warned, as tensions with Russia sharpen questions about the country’s military preparedness.
Lord Richard Dannatt, the former Chief of the General Staff, accused the Prime Minister of failing to treat defence spending with sufficient urgency, arguing that ministers were effectively postponing decisions on a known funding shortfall until the next spending review.
Speaking on GB News, Dannatt said the government had yet to provide a convincing answer to the £4.7bn gap in the Defence Investment Plan, despite indications that departments were being asked to find additional money.
“I think all the indications before the Budget were that we were not going to see anything very substantial for defence out of this budget. All I would say is that there is some form of commitment to fund the £4.7 billion pounds of the defence investment plan that was previously not funded, and that seems to be a sort of whip around by other spending departments trying to find that that additional money.”
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He criticised the apparent decision to defer a more substantial funding settlement until the next spending review, highlighting what he described as a contradiction between the government’s warnings about the Russian threat and its reluctance to commit resources.
“You’ve got Wes Streeting as the Defence Secretary saying a few days ago, we must be ready for war with Russia in 1,000 days. And then in the budget, we’ve got the former Defence Secretary, now the Chancellor, saying that, ‘Oh, hang on, we’ll wait until the spending review’.
“So effectively, they’re squandering the next 365 days, waiting for that overall spending review, when we know there’s a problem. We know we’ve got to spend more money. So work harder and find it.”
Dannatt placed responsibility squarely on Burnham, arguing that defence funding was ultimately a matter of political leadership rather than simply a dispute between the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence.
“Of course, it’s being led by Burnham. Burnham is the Prime Minister. He is also, as his front door tells him, the first Lord of the Treasury. So it is down to him.”
He acknowledged the government’s wider domestic spending ambitions but argued that national security had to come first.
“Yes, of course he wants social security. Of course he wants a national care scheme. These are all very good. But frankly, you can’t have those things if we are insecure physically and practically as a nation. And that’s where we are now.”
The former Army chief was more encouraging about Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, saying he had been impressed by his early performance in a demanding portfolio.
But he warned that rhetoric about military readiness would count for little without additional resources.
“I think he’s doing quite a good job, but he can’t do it with words. They’ve got to put more money there. Andy Burnham, John Healey, and Wes Streeting together have got to sing off the same song sheet now.”
The intervention puts fresh pressure on the government to reconcile its warnings about the deteriorating security environment with the funding decisions needed to address Britain’s military capability gaps.
Last week General Lord Dannatt, who led the Army from 2006 to 2009, accused the Government of relying on what he described as “creative accounting” rather than committing the additional resources required.
“Russia is serious; we are not,” he told The Telegraph.
“Deterring aggression by being prepared for war is the best way to keep this country safe. Find the money now, don’t kick the can down the track for another year.”
Field Marshal Lord Richards, chief of the defence staff from 2010 to 2013, warned that Britain did not have the “luxury of time”. He urged ministers to “ruthlessly prioritise” defence requirements, pointing to warnings from the Government itself about the need to prepare for a possible conflict within the next 1,000 days.
General Sir Peter Wall, who served as Army chief from 2010 to 2014, said the investment required to rebuild the armed forces was “long overdue”.
“Three per cent by 2030 won’t deliver proper capability uplift much before 2035,” he warned, questioning how the money would be allocated and when it would reach the military.
“It’s an aspiration, not a commitment. The lack of strategic urgency is shocking and will only embolden our opponents.”
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