Labour was accused of an embarrassing U-turn last night after appearing to water down a crucial military spending pledge.
Ahead of a long-awaited defence review being published today, the Defence Secretary rowed back on a commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on national security by 2034.
Just 72 hours after giving an interview in which he said Britain ‘will spend’ such an amount ‘in the next Parliament’, John Healey yesterday downgraded it to a mere ‘ambition’.
Sir Keir Starmer will today launch the Government’s Strategic Defence Review from a UK dockyard, following many months of work and lobbying by military chiefs.
But critics warn the ten-year plan is likely to prove unaffordable without a hike to 3 per cent. A Nato summit later this month is expected to push for members to hit 3.5 per cent by 2032, while US President Donald Trump has already called for a jump to 5 per cent within the alliance.
Mr Healey told the BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show: ‘We have a historic commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent in two years’ time [2027]. We haven’t hit that level since Labour was last in power in 2010. And an ambition to meet 3 per cent in the next Parliament.’
The presenter challenged him, asking: ‘So it’s still just an ambition? That’s not a guarantee.’
Mr Healey declined to confirm spending 3 per cent of GDP in the next Parliament, instead talking about being able to ‘deliver the vision’ of today’s review.
Ahead of a long-awaited defence review being published today, the Defence Secretary (left, with Sir Keir Starmer on a visit to British troops at the Tapa Nato base in Estonia in 2023) rowed back on a commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on national security by 2034
Just 72 hours after giving an interview in which he said Britain ‘will spend’ such an amount ‘in the next Parliament’, John Healey yesterday downgraded it to a mere ‘ambition’. Pictured: File photo
Sir Keir Starmer (pictured last month) will today launch the Government’s Strategic Defence Review from a UK dockyard, following many months of work and lobbying by military chiefs
Some of that vision was made clear last night as the Ministry of Defence announced plans to build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines to boost the Royal Navy’s commitment to the Aukus Pacific defence partnership with Australia and the United States, while investing £15 billion in warheads.
But the first of these UK-built submarines is not expected to enter service before the late 2030s, defence sources confirmed last night. It will also be for future Parliaments to honour this spending commitment, so it could be cancelled.
Last night, the Conservatives leapt on Labour’s apparent muddle on defence, accusing Mr Healey of weakening UK security.
Tory defence spokesman James Cartlidge told the Mail: ‘These promises on submarines are a fantasy fleet without real money to back them up.
‘The fact is, John Healey has been forced into a humiliating climb down by the Treasury after confirming, as recently as Thursday, that defence spending would definitely rise to 3 per cent.
‘But by Sunday he was backtracking completely. John Healey has been badly let down by the Chancellor – so now he knows how the rest of us feel.’
In an effort to clarify the situation, a Labour source told the Mail last night: ‘He [Mr Healey] was expressing an opinion [to The Times last week], which is that he has full confidence that the Government will be able to deliver on its ambition to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence in the next Parliament.’
The Mail’s Don’t Leave Britain Defenceless campaign has lobbied successive governments to commit to boosting military spending to 3 per cent by 2030, with defence chiefs warning the country cannot afford to delay.
Some of that vision was made clear last night as the Ministry of Defence announced plans to build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines to boost the Royal Navy’s commitment to the Aukus Pacific defence partnership. Pictured: File photo
Last night, the Conservatives leapt on Labour’s apparent muddle on defence, accusing Mr Healey (pictured, on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg yesterday) of weakening UK security
Naval experts welcomed the plans for up to 12 attack submarines – which are nuclear-powered but do not carry the UK’s nuclear deterrent. But Matthew Savill, from the Royal United Services Institute defence think tank, added: ‘This will be tremendously expensive and will have a lot riding on Aukus surviving as well as the expansion of the current maritime construction capacity of the UK.’
Ex-Navy commander Tom Sharpe agreed, saying: ‘There is a ton of resourcing required. “Up to 12” is classically vague. One thing is for sure, the current Government defence spending commitment of 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 will not provide this.’
It comes after the Mail exposed how, in September last year, the Royal Navy did not have a single attack submarine at sea.
Mr Healey labelled today’s review a ‘message to Moscow’, with the building of bomb factories, the purchase of thousands of long-range weapons and investment in drone technology and cyber defences. But he said he does not expect to raise the number of soldiers until the next Parliament.
The externally-led review, written by former Labour defence secretary and Nato secretary general Lord Robertson, makes 62 recommendations which the Government is expected to accept in full. The Prime Minister is expected to say today: ‘National security is the foundation of my Plan for Change and this plan will ensure Britain is secure at home and strong abroad.’
