{"id":50354,"date":"2026-04-14T09:58:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50354"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:58:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:58:02","slug":"hegseth-right-to-mock-royal-navy-says-ex-army-chief-as-he-backs-claims-over-military-underfunding-uk-politics-live-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50354","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth right to mock Royal Navy, says ex-army chief as he backs claims over military underfunding \u2013 UK politics live | Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Hegseth right to mock Royal Navy, says ex-army chief as he backs claims over military underfunding<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Good morning. When Keir Starmer<\/strong> gave evidence to the Commons liaison committee before the Easter recess, and when he made a statement to MPs yesterday on the first day after it was over, he was repeatedly asked when the government will publish its defence investment plan (DIP). On both occasions, he could not give a timetable and would just say it would be published as soon as it was ready.<\/p>\n

His critics are furious because the DIP, a 10-year plan explaining how the government will fund its commitment to get defence spending up to 3% of GDP by the end of the next parliament, with total national security spending reaching 5% of GDP by 2035, was due to be published last autumn.<\/p>\n

In particular, the DIP will explain how the government will be able to fulfil the goals set out in the strategic defence review it published last year<\/a>. The review was led by the Labour peer George Robertson<\/strong>, a former defence secretary and former secretary general of Nato. And he seems to have finally lost patience with the government.<\/p>\n

He is giving a speech in Salisbury tonight, but Lucy Fisher<\/strong> from the Financial Times has already written up some extracts<\/a> and in them Robertson is withering about the Treasury. According to Fisher\u2019s report, Robertson<\/strong> will accuse \u201cnon-military experts in the Treasury\u201d of \u201cvandalism\u201d, adding: \u201cWe cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

He will criticise Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, for devoting just 40 words to defence in her budget speech last year, and saying nothing about the topic at all in her spring statement last month. He will say:<\/p>\n

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double quotation mark<\/title><\/svg>There is a corrosive complacency today in Britain\u2019s political leadership. Lip service is paid to the risks, the threats, the bright red signals of danger \u2014 but even a promised national conversation about defence can\u2019t be started.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He will also say Britain is not safe.<\/p>\n

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double quotation mark<\/title><\/svg>We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009Britain\u2019s national security and safety is in peril.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Robertson is not a defence loudmouth. He is a quintessential establishment figure who for most of his career has avoided being provocative, or rocking the boat. If he feels minded to speak out like this, it must be serious.<\/p>\n

Olivia Lee <\/strong>has a full write-up here.<\/p>\n

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This morning General Sir Richard Barrons<\/strong>, who along with Robertson was one of the three experts who wrote the defence review (the other was the former White House adviser and Russia expert Fiona Hill), gave an interview to the Today programme. Barrons, a former commander of Joint Forces Command, fully supported what Robertson will be saying in his speech. And he said that Britain\u2019s armed forces are so diminished that he had to accept that Pete Hegseth,<\/strong> the US defence secretary, was right when he mocked the Royal Navy last month.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cLast time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy<\/a> that could be prepared to do things like [clear the strait of Hormuz] as well,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n

Asked how he felt hearing that, Barrons<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n

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double quotation mark<\/title><\/svg>Like many others I hung my head in sorrow. But I couldn\u2019t argue with him because although the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and the army are, in their bones, outstanding institutions, they are simply too small and too undernourished to deal with the world that we we now live in. And the review says this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n

Morning:<\/em> Keir Starmer chairs cabinet. There will be a political session, as well as the usual government meeting.<\/p>\n

10am:<\/em> South East Water executives give evidence to the environment, food and rural affairs committee, followed by Ofwat chief executive Chris Walters at 11am.<\/p>\n

10am:<\/em> Education experts give evidence to the Commons education committee about the proposed changes to Send (special educational needs and disabilities) provision.<\/p>\n

10.30am:<\/em> Executives from TikTok, Meta, Sky TV and Paramount TV executives give evidence to the culture committee about children\u2019s TV and video content.<\/p>\n

Morning:<\/em> Kemi Badenoch<\/a> is on a visit in south London.<\/p>\n

11am:<\/em> Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, holds a press conference focusing on health.<\/p>\n

11.30am:<\/em> Wes Streeting, the health secretary, takes questions in the Commons.<\/p>\n

Noon:<\/em> Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.<\/p>\n

Afternoon:<\/em> Starmer meets his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten, in Downing Street.<\/p>\n

If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can\u2019t read all the messages BTL, but if you put \u201cAndrew\u201d in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.<\/p>\n

If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X<\/a>, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.<\/p>\n

I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can\u2019t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.<\/p>\n