LONDON — The Public Accounts Committee criticized the government in June 2024 for delays in publishing the defence investment plan. A report from the committee stated that this delay is undermining the U.K.'s credibility with its allies.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, addressed the ongoing delay. "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. Whatever the content of the Dip when it eventually does appear, the damage from its absence has been done to the nation's credibility, to its safety, to its armed forces, and to certainty within its entire defence industrial base. Any government minister attempting to explain away this delay to the Dip should instead ask themselves what message the bureaucratic drift of the past months has given to the public, as well as the U.K.'s allies and its adversaries, and simply apologise," Clifton-Brown said.
The Ministry of Defence has not determined the capabilities, infrastructure, or personnel needed to make the armed forces warfighting-ready within the available budget, according to the committee report. The ministry also has not secured the cross-government agreement required for the defence investment plan.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the defence investment plan will be published before the Nato summit in Turkey, which is scheduled to begin on 7 July. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the government is allocating an additional £270bn in defence spending across the current parliament. "The defence investment plan will fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also stated, "We are working hard to finalise it. The prime minister is determined to publish it before the Nato summit."
The Ministry of Defence is developing a submarine maintenance recovery plan. The First Sea Lord ordered this plan to prevent maintenance overruns and increase war readiness capacity. All five Astute-class submarines, which protect Vanguard-class submarines carrying nuclear Trident missiles, are currently out of service for maintenance and repair work.