Ministers still wrangling over delayed defence investment plan

The government is still wrangling over a much-delayed plan for ordering the equipment needed to ensure the UK's armed forces are ready for war, MPs have been told.

Ministers had promised to publish their 10-year defence investment plan before Christmas - but the top civil servant at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Jeremy Pocklington, said it had to be agreed by "everyone across government".

"We are working hard to deliver it," Pocklington told the Commons defence committee, adding: "We will publish it as soon as we can."

Labour's Michelle Scrogham warned that arms suppliers were having to lay off staff and put investment decisions on hold while they wait for the report to be published.

The Barrow and Furness MP, whose constituency is home to several defence contractors, asked the MoD permanent secretary if he was aware of the impact the delay was having on them.

He said he could see the "value in providing a clear signal to suppliers" but it was important to get the plan right.

He added that he could not give MPs a publication date, saying: "We are working flat out to agree the plan with everyone across government."

The UK's National Armaments Director Rupert Pearce apologised to the committee for telling them in December that the plan would be ready in a matter of "days now, not weeks or months".

He said he had been new to his role and had not realised the complexity of the issues involved.

"I got it wrong. I felt that was where we were," he told MPs, adding that "things drop away" over Christmas and New Year, but work was now under way "in earnest".

Labour MP Tan Dhesi, who chairs the committee, suggested the plan might now be delayed until after May's elections, adding that the situation was a "mess".

According to Politico, one reason for the hold up is that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is in a row with No 10 over further cuts to the international aid budget to fund a promised increase in defence spending.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he wants to speed up plans to reach 3% of national income being spent on defence.

Defence officials insisted to MPs that the delay to the investment plan had not led to a freeze in procurement, and that the MoD was still signing contracts for new kit.

But the committee was also told the delay could have a knock-on effect on the delivery date of some systems, such as new mine sweeping technology.

And deputy chief of the defence staff, Air Marshal Tim Jones, said it could have an impact on the UK's ability to meet its commitments to Nato.

He told MPs the land capability of the British Army is "nowhere near" where it needs to be and would need "a lot" of investment.

Asked whether Britain is currently capable of deploying soldiers for high intensity combat to Europe if the need arose, he said: "At the moment, we know that we are short of where we want to be in terms of heavy capabilities."

He added: "That is why the defence investment plan and the integrated force plan that I am working on is designed to get us there as quickly as possible, so we can be at the position where we can meet our war-fighting headmark obligations under Nato.

"I am not going to make any bones about it, we are not where I know we need to be in terms of meeting those future Nato capability targets."

It comes as the UK government announced it was joining forces with Finland and the Netherlands to set up a new mechanism for funding defence procurement.

Details of how the scheme will work have yet to be finalised, but the Treasury said it would work alongside existing EU and Nato initiatives to "strengthen collective deterrence, expand defence industrial capacity, and increase defence capability through joint procurement".

The aim is to expand its membership to "like-minded" EU and non-EU countries, the department added.