UK defence spending plan ‘well short of what’s required’, says former minister John Healey

Former UK defence secretary John Healey has criticized the government's current defence investment plans, stating they fall "well short of what is required." In a resignation speech to the Commons, Healey said the plans show a rise of only 0.08% from next year to 2030, with no date for reaching 3% of GDP on defence and no path to 3.5% by 2030. He noted that well over half of NATO members will be spending 3% or more, and warned that Britain must not fall behind when allies look for British leadership. Separately, former defence minister Al Carns also resigned, citing concerns that the defence investment plan was not preparing for the wars the UK is most likely to fight, focusing instead on the wrong items. Carns argued the plan did not strike a balance between high-end sophistication and low-end mass, pointing to the use of drones in Ukraine as an example of modern warfare. The resignations came on the same day, but the two former ministers appeared to have a frosty relationship and offered different criticisms of the plan.

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Sources: The Guardian