No New Money For Defence, Says UK Treasury
The UK Treasury has made it clear that there is no new money for defence, according to a recent report by Sky News. This comes at a time in which there are talks of renewing the UK’s defence policy, a change intended to inform the spending plans of the current government. These plans may be delayed until after the March budget in order to better reflect the current security landscape in Europe, where Russia has been waging a land war in Ukraine.
Defence sources warn that there might be a chance that the UK will not realistically be able to offer as many troops to NATO allies as previously expected. This could lead to NATO restructuring their plans with regard to the current war in Ukraine.
If the March budget allows for more military spending, this situation may not come to pass. It is possible that Mr Sunak could decide to increase the defence budget. There are calls from both sides, with some urging Sunak to accelerate military spending, and others insisting that the money could be better used helping British citizens to survive this current cost of living crisis.
Last year, defence sources called for an annual £3 billion increase to the defence budget and to halt a plan to further shrink the size of the army. Current peacetime procurement rules are also being challenged, as they obstruct the UK’s ability to buy weapons at speed.
Lord George Robertson, the last British secretary general of NATO, has said, “The prime minister needs to wake up to the fact that Vladimir Putin has declared war on the West [...]. That means by taking defence and security more seriously than it appears at the present moment and investing in the right kind of equipment, the right kind of capabilities in order to keep the country safe.”
The government is currently under increased pressure due to inflation. Although the Treasury committed an additional £16 billion to the Ministry of Defence in 2020 – the biggest spike in defence spending since the Cold War – military sources are arguing that this is not enough. This £16 billion, set to be distributed across 4 years, is being diminished by the effects of inflation.
There are also worries about how a current plan to build a new fleet of nuclear-armed submarines will use up the budget. This ambitious, expensive plan is receiving some scrutiny due to Europe’s current state.
“In its current state, if the UK’s army was called to fight, it would run out of ammunition within days,” explains Alfie Usher, founder of army money champion, Forces Compare.
“However, weapons are not the only problem that the UK’s army faces. Recruitment and retention is currently lower than needed. Recruitment to the regular forces is at a 29.8% decrease according to figures released by the UK Government. As things stand, it would take 10 years to field a modern warfighting division of 25,000-30,000 troops.”
These issues are being exacerbated by the Government’s donation of resources to the Ukrainian military, including tanks and artillery guns. Sources say that the current war in Ukraine is underlying the importance of sufficient supplies and spare parts, yet claim that there is nothing in the Government’s refresh plans about these immediate pressures.
The refresh is due to be released on 7 March, but there is speculation that it will get delayed or pulled in order to restructure plans with Russia in mind.
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