#uk-defence-spending

#uk-defence-spending

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"war bonds"

The former head of the RAF has warned that increased defence spending in the UK is being eaten up by the Ministry of Defence (MoD)'s overdraft with the UK's military footprint shrinking at a critical moment. The intervention by retired Air Marshall Edward Stringer comes just days after Sir Keir Starmer committed sending UK troops to Ukraine as part of the coalition of the willing to protect any peace agreement from Russian aggression.

The government is refusing to deny reports that plans to make Britain's armed forces "war ready" will require billions more than it has allocated so far. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) believes it will require an extra 28bn over the next four years to meet its forecast costs, according to The Times and The Sun. The department's investment plan has been delayed, with Sir Keir Starmer reportedly ordering a rewrite of the proposals.