Former NATO chief George Robertson has issued a stark warning, asserting that Britain's national security is in "peril" due to what he describes as "corrosive complacency" regarding defence spending under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government. The ex-NATO secretary-general, who also served as the UK's defence secretary in the 1990s, claims there is a significant chasm between the government's rhetoric on defence and the necessary investment to secure the nation in the current global climate.
Robertson, who co-authored the government's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) delivered last June, highlighted the repeated delays in finalising the accompanying 10-year Defence Investment Plan. This plan is intended to detail how the priorities outlined in the SDR – which called for a pivot towards drones, digital warfare, and data-driven combat systems, drawing lessons from the conflict in Ukraine – will be financed. Reports suggest the plan's hold-up stems from internal government disagreements over funding, both for new initiatives and existing defence commitments.
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General Sir Richard Barrons, a co-author of the defence review with Robertson, echoed these grave concerns. He stated there is an "enormous gap between where we have to be to keep the country safe in the world we now live in, and where we actually are." Barrons lamented the current state of the UK's armed forces, noting that while the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and Army are "outstanding institutions," they are "simply too small and too undernourished to deal with the world that we now live in." This sentiment was underscored by recent remarks from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who reportedly mocked the Royal Navy's capabilities, a critique Barrons found difficult to refute.
In response to Robertson's accusations, a spokesperson for Keir Starmer vehemently rejected the characterisation, stating that Downing Street "completely" disagrees. The spokesperson pointed to existing government commitments, asserting that "the UK defence budget is already rising to record levels and we're going further," and that spending targets have been set. Despite these assurances, the criticism from a figure of Robertson's stature, and his affiliation with the Labour Party, adds a layer of internal party friction to the defence debate.
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International Pressure and Shifting Landscape
The urgency of the defence debate is amplified by the volatile international landscape. Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the re-election of US President Donald Trump have intensified pressure on the UK and other NATO members to bolster their defence expenditures. The current conflict in the Middle East, which escalated on February 28 following a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, has also brought the UK's preparedness under scrutiny, though Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton recently rejected claims that the UK was ill-prepared.
Historical Context and Funding Disagreements
The Strategic Defence Review, initiated under the current government, aimed to recalibrate the UK's defence posture for contemporary threats. However, the associated investment plan has been mired in difficulties. Last year, attempts to enact savings within the defence sector were abandoned following strong opposition from backbench Labour MPs, indicating a broader internal debate about defence funding priorities and the government's fiscal approach. Robertson has suggested that significant spending cuts in other government departments may be necessary to adequately fund defence initiatives.
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Robertson's intervention follows Donald Trump's recent public criticism of Prime Minister Starmer over the UK's stance on non-involvement in the Middle East conflict. Barrons, speaking previously, indicated that while the UK was heading in the right direction, its current pace meant it could take approximately a decade to achieve readiness for potential future conflicts.
