When it comes to matters of defence and security for Keir Starmer, the stars never quite align or do the sums add up. Heads clash and egos bruise among the ministers and advisers engaged in this fraught area – at times they seem keener to fight each other than concentrate on the defence of the realm.
The Government’s defence and foreign policy row reaches dramatic crisis on Thursday 11 June. This is the date the Prime Minister is slated to announce the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP). It is to set out what Britain really plans to do and pay for in its own defence and to help allies and friends abroad, including Ukraine and Arab states in the Gulf.
Sums of an extra £15 to £18 billion on the table have been leaked copiously to lobby correspondents. These have been coupled with serial b*tching across Whitehall about the conduct of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and its poor accounting record.
The extra funds will mean cuts elsewhere, which is causing greatest annoyance in the Departments of Energy – which foresees threats to its net zero strategy – and Transport.
The wrangling has been so intense this past week – with MoD staff called in at the weekend to re-scramble figures that should have been worked through last summer – that there are hints the Prime Minister will put off the announcement yet again.
