'Sick and tired' MP slams 'armchair generals' as he defends 'undernourished' Royal Navy amid Iran war
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Visceral statements have been hurled at the government regarding the state of the armed forces
Anger from a defence minister boiled over as he slammed “armchair generals” who “talk down” Britain’s military.
Minister for defence industry and readiness, Luke Pollard, took aim at critics who believe the armed forces are not prepared for war. High-profile figures including Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, who headed up the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), have slammed the economic shortfalls in military spending and have accused the government of “corrosive complacency”.
When asked what he says to those who question the armed forces’ ability to go to war, Mr Pollard told Forces News: “I don’t subscribe to that at all. I’ve been taking journalists on in interviews I’ve been doing.
“I’m sick and tired of seeing journalists and armchair generals who talk down our military. We know that we have taken on armed forces that have been hollowed out by the last government.”
Criticism has been levelled at the government due to the state of the armed forces. Only one Type 45 destroyer, HMS Dragon, was available to be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean. After six weeks worth of work was completed in six days, she set off from Portsmouth three weeks after the British RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus was hit by a kamikaze drone.
The frigate force has fallen to 13, soon to be 12 if HMS Richmond is due to be retired, leaving a looming capability gap. National report also said the Type 83 programme may be pushed back as a cost-cutting measure, alongside reducing the number of British Type 26 frigates - currently being built in Scotland - from eight to six.
Lord Robertson criticised the Treasury for committing “vandalism” following delays to the Defence Investment Plan, which sets out how the SDR will be funded. The former Labour defence secretary warned “we cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget”.
Mr Pollard said giving armed forces personnel two pay rises, pumping funds into improving defence housing, and recent RAF operations in the Middle East proves that the armed forces are capable of responding to threats. He also cited the one month operation where Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans and other assets monitored Russian spy submarines who were loitering over undersea cables.
The Labour MP said: “We’re investing in our people. I’m sick and tired when we have our forces globally deployed, doing incredible work keeping our bases and allies safe in the Middle East and deterring Russian aggression and monitoring our undersea and subsea cables, that this narrative exists. The Defence Investment Plan will be published soon when it's ready. It will set out the increased defence spending and what we’re spending it on.”
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was forced to address the criticism during PMQs earlier this week, stating he did not agree with the assessment by Lord Robertson. SDR co-author General Richard Barrons echoed the concerns, stating the Royal Navy and RAF were “undernourished”. He told the BBC’s Today programme: “There’s 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.
“Companies that are British, that have really important armaments and other equipment, are not getting the orders and so they are looking elsewhere and some are folding.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has called on the Defence Investment Plan to be published as soon as possible alongside guarantees of increase defence spending. The government current commitments are to raise it to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027, and 3.5 per cent by 2035, but various reports have stated the Ministry of Defence faces a £28bn shortfall at minimum over the next four years. Ms Graham said funding needs to be found, but not at the expense of the poor.
“The government's failure to produce the DIP is a threat to national security as well as to jobs and skills,” she said. “It is becoming more apparent by the day that our armed forces are overstretched and under-equipped to deal with the global challenges we face.
“Our defence workers should be treated are a strategic national asset and when the much-delayed defence investment plan is finally agreed, the money must be spent in the UK. Failing to preserve and protect their skills and experience of these workers would mean throwing away vital know-how for defence projects. At best, this would be an extremely time-consuming and expensive mistake.”
She added: “It completely wrong to suggest that caring for the most vulnerable is risking national security. We are the sixth richest country in the world. If the government needs to raise funds it should introduce a wealth tax rather than attack the most vulnerable in society yet again.”