Delays to defence plan undermine UK credibility, MPs say

Delays to defence plan undermine UK credibility, MPs sayJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleOlivia IrelandPA MediaBritish Army soldiers on exercises in Finland with a droneDelays in publishing a report laying out government defence spending have undermined the UK's credibility with its allies, a parliamentary committee that scrutinises public spending says.The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) was supposed to be published in the autumn but is now due to be released ahead of a Nato summit early next month.The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says the hold-up means procuring the latest equipment will be more expensive, "hindering the government's attempt to modernise the Armed Forces".A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said the DIP would "fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited", adding: "We are working hard to finalise it."The DIP will explain how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade and follows the wide-ranging Strategic Defence Review (SDR) published on 2 June 2025.Defence Secretary John Healey told the Commons on Monday that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was "determined to publish" it. The chair of the PAC, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, said that from the committee's point of view, the nation had "now in fact gone years without a credible plan for UK military capability". "Those responsible may argue there are good reasons for the DIP's continuing absence, but our report makes clear that excuses to the effect of 'taking the time to get the details right' simply do not cut it." The PAC report said the DIP's delay had been "due to the lack of a decision from the MoD as to which capabilities, infrastructure and people it requires to transform the Armed Forces to be warfighting-ready".It said defence contractors were raising prices because of global instability, meaning delays to procu...