Keir Starmer Publishes Britain’s Long-Delayed Defence Investment Plan With £5bn Drone Investment

Britain’s long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is set to be published on Tuesday as Sir Keir Starmer says it will keep Britain "safe and secure long into the future" and as the plan arrives shortly before the Nato leaders summit in Turkey on 7 July.

“- Published A long-delayed military spending plan will be published on Tuesday, with Sir Keir Starmer saying it would keep Britain "safe and secure long into the future"”

BBC

The Ministry of Defence says the DIP includes £5bn worth of investment to increase the Armed Forces' use of drones and autonomous weapons, and it will also explain how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade.

BBC

The dispute that delayed the DIP was tied to funding levels after the Treasury and No 10 agreed a £13.5bn funding increase, well short of the £28bn the MoD wanted, and the row saw John Healey resign over what he said was inadequate funding.

BBC reported that the DIP now comes after months of tense Whitehall negotiations over how to fund it, with departments across government asked to make cuts, and with two defence ministers resigning over what they said was an inadequate funding increase in the original version of the plan.

John Healey resigned earlier this month, saying the DIP fell "well short" of what is needed to protect the UK and meet existing spending commitments, while Armed Forces Minister Al Carns quit saying it was not "transformative enough" in the face of rapidly-evolving warfare.

The Conservatives said the plan was "too little, too late", while the Liberal Democrats said it "dangerously short-changed our Armed Forces", as the DIP is pushed forward in Sir Keir’s final weeks as prime minister.

GOV.UK

The BBC said new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has spent the last two weeks "refocusing" the DIP to take on more of the lessons from Ukraine and Iran, and it quoted Jarvis saying, "In Ukraine and the Middle East, uncrewed systems are defining conflicts."

In response to the timing and funding fight, Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the DIP was "being rushed through because Keir Starmer is desperate for a legacy," while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said, "The government has dangerously short-changed our armed forces when they need urgent investment".

The Ministry of Defence said plans to replace ageing warship will be scrapped in favour of building at least six new modern "hybrid" vessels equipped to deploy drones, tying the DIP’s spending priorities to a shift in how the Royal Navy will operate.

“- Largest ever drone investment in UK Armed Forces – more than £5 billion over the next four years – to be included in the Defence Investment Plan”

GOV.UK

Sir Keir said there would be "game-changing investment" to strengthen the Armed Forces on land, at sea and in the air, and he added that "Today's defence investment plan will help drive growth across the UK" through confidence and support for the industrial base.

BBC also reported that unions and defence firms warned the continued delays to the DIP were a "threat" to British jobs, skills and national security, and it said the decision to publish in his final weeks could cause tension with a successor who may want to revise defence spending.

Nato General Secretary Mark Rutte has previously urged the alliance's members to present "clear, concrete and credible plans" for how they will raise defence spending ahead of next month’s summit, and the UK government has vowed to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 in line with Nato commitments.