Former generals have told Andy Burnham that Britain is not ready for war and have accused John Healey’s budget of “kicking the can down the road” on defence.
The stark warning comes as Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has insisted that the UK must be ready for war within 1,000 days amid an increasing threat from Russia and other hostile powers.
Plans to meet Britain’s pledge to spend three per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, in line with Nato targets, were missing from the Chancellor’s first fiscal statement.
A long-awaited spending review, expected to include a full funding pathway to the promise, has been delayed until sometime next year.
Mr Healey said he would fully fund Labour’s Defence Investment Plan, the scheme whose apparent shortcomings prompted his resignation as Defence Secretary under Sir Keir Starmer over the summer.
He also set out measures to generate £5billion of investment in defence industries through the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank
“Keeping the people safe by equipping our armed forces is the first duty of any Government,” Mr Healey said during his budget speech.
However, three former armed forces chiefs have said Labour failed to fulfil that duty, accusing the Government of leaving Britain dangerously ill-equipped for any future conflict.
Gen Sir Peter Wall, Field Marshal Lord Richards and Gen Lord Dannatt all voiced their concerns, arguing that the government’s lack of urgency on military funding risks emboldening hostile nations.
Gen Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, accused Labour of using “creative accounting” to avoid increasing spending.
“Russia is serious, we are not. 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,” he warned.
“The lack of strategic urgency is shocking and will only embolden our opponents,” Gen Sir Peter, who served as chief of the general staff from 2010 to 2014, told The Telegraph.
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Gen Sir Peter suggested that even the distant 2030 target would not “deliver proper capability uplift much before 2035”.
“We have no idea how or when that money will be spent. It’s an aspiration, not a commitment”.
Field Marshal Lord Richards, who served as chief of the defence staff from 2010 to 2013, said the febrile global climate meant Britain had to “ruthlessly prioritise” defence.
“If you’ve got ten years to plan and fight your war, then what they are doing is OK. But with only three, you don’t have the luxury of time,” he said.
As well as boosting funding for the three arms of the forces, Lord Richards said domestic defences, such as anti-ballistic missile tech and undersea cable protection, desperately needed more support.
Earlier this year, GB News discovered that Britain lacked any independent means to defend against a ballistic missile attack.
The intervention of the three former military chiefs comes as tensions rise worldwide and Britain attempts to respond to threats from multiple foreign powers.
Last week, The People’s Channel revealed that Germany and France’s top defence firms had offered Argentina a fleet of hunter-killer submarines as Buenos Aires continues to press its claim on the Falklands.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting has insisted that his “defining priority” was ensuring the nation was “ready to fight and win a war” in the next 1,000 days.
“To prevent the worst, we have to prepare for it,” he wrote.
Mr Streeting argued that the first step was to bolster Britain’s military capabilities sufficiently to make adversaries reconsider any plans for aggression.
“Should that fail, we must ensure that Britain is ready for war,” he added.
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