MPs call for government apology over delayed defence investment plan
A cross-party group of MPs said the government should apologise for delays to a defence investment plan originally promised in autumn 2025. The Public Accounts Committee report stated that the absence of the plan has damaged national credibility and armed forces planning.
ukdefencejournal.org.ukA cross-party group of MPs said the government should apologise for delays to a defence investment plan originally promised in autumn 2025. The Public Accounts Committee report stated that the absence of the plan has damaged national credibility, armed forces readiness, and certainty within the defence industrial base.
The committee chairman said excuses about taking time to get details right do not address the effects of the delay. The report noted that the Ministry of Defence has not yet decided which capabilities, infrastructure, and personnel it requires to make the armed forces warfighting-ready within the available budget.
Committee findings The report also stated that the ministry has not secured the cross-government agreement the plan requires. The chairman described the document as having gained the unwelcome honour of being the most anticipated in his political career.
The prime minister has said the plan will be published before the Nato summit in Turkey that begins on 7 July. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the government is providing a generational increase in defence spending, with an extra £270 billion across this parliament.
The spokesman added that the plan will fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme inherited by the current government. The defence secretary told Parliament this week that the prime minister is determined to publish the plan before the Nato summit.
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