Almost all defence reviews since 1945 have resulted in cuts, intended and unintended, and often disastrous. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) last year, complimented by the ongoing funding row, is no exception.
If present proposals from the Treasury are adhered to, there will have to be major cuts across the board – very likely reducing Army personnel by another 10,000 and similar reduction in the other services.
Defence and security at home and abroad didn’t feature in the Makerfield by-election. Such matters rarely do in by-elections, unless in the time of outright war. Whoever sits in Downing Street come next September will need to address matters of defence, homeland and cyber defence especially, with urgency.
The Starmer Government seems to have succumbed to chronic fatigue syndrome on defence. The grudging proposal to offer £10bn extra to implement plans sketched in the review of 2025 fell well short of the at least £18bn requested by defence officials.
Low ammunition and desperate Navy
