UK has no plan to defend itself from army assault, bombshell report claims
The Commons Defence Committee said Britian does not have a plan to defend its homeland or territories from a military attack – and said Keir Starmer’s ‘national conversation’ is yet to start
The UK does not have a plan for defending itself from a military attack, a damning report has warned.
MPs issued a stark warning about Britain’s ability to fight a war and meet its NATO obligations in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The cross-party Commons Defence Committee said there is an “over-reliance” on the US.
It comes as Defence Secretary John Healey today(WED) announces 13 sites have been identified for potential arms factories across the UK. The Labour frontbencher will say in a London speech that the “new era of threat” presents an economic opportunity with at least 1,000 new jobs to be created.
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Mr Healey will also vow that Rachel Reeves ‘ Budget next week will ensure there will be no return to the “hollowed out and underfunded” armed forces of the past.
He faces questions after the committee report, published today(WED), claimed Keir Starmer’s “national conversation” about defending the nation – promised in July – is yet to start.
MPs wrote: “The UK lacks a plan for defending the homeland and overseas territories with little progress on the Home Defence Programme. The Prime Minister’s ‘national conversation on defence and security’, highlighted in the SDR (strategic defence review), is yet to start.”
They called for the public to be given more information about the scale of the threat and the response that is required. Committee’s chairman, Labour’s Tan Dhesi, said: “Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, unrelenting disinformation campaigns, and repeated incursions into European airspace mean that we cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand.”
He added: “We have repeatedly heard concerns about the UK’s ability to defend itself from attack. Government must be willing to grasp the nettle and prioritise homeland defence and resilience.
“In achieving this, Government cannot shy away from direct engagement with the public.
“Wars aren’t won just by generals but by the whole of the population getting behind the armed forces and playing our part.
“There needs to be a co-ordinated effort to communicate with the public on the level of threat we face and what to expect in the event of conflict.”
Mr Healey will confirm the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has funded a number of feasibility studies for new energetics factories – producing explosives, pyrotechnics and propellants.
Potential sites for the “factories of the future” include Grangemouth in Scotland, Teesside in north-east England and Milford Haven in Wales.
Mr Healey will say: “For too long our proud industrial heartlands saw jobs go away and not come back. We are changing that. Bringing new hope. This is a fundamental shift from the failed approach of the past.
“This is a new era of threat but the opportunity of this new era is a defence dividend from our record investment, measured in good jobs, thriving businesses, new skills for the British people.”
In June, the MoD committed £1.5 billion of additional defence investment for energetics and munitions.
