A senior UK government minister has defended lengthy delays to a key military spending plan that is also holding up progress on Britain’s next-generation Tempest fighter jet, but declined to give a firm timetable for its publication.
The defence investment plan, originally due last autumn, has been repeatedly postponed as officials grapple with a projected £28bn funding gap in the armed forces budget over the next four years. The delays are raising growing concern across the defence sector, with implications for future capability, procurement and industrial strategy.
Luke Pollard, minister for defence readiness and industry, said the scale of the task was greater than many outside the defence community understood. He said the plan would involve reshaping the structure of the armed forces, with a stronger focus on automation and autonomous systems, alongside the need to replenish depleted stockpiles following extensive military support for Ukraine.
The defence investment plan is expected to set out how the government will fund its strategic defence review, which outlines long-term reforms to the UK military in response to rising threats from Russia and increased commitments to NATO.
Although ministers accepted all the recommendations of the review when it was published last year, senior military leaders have warned that further cuts may be unavoidable without additional funding. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton told MPs last month that budget pressures could force difficult decisions if the funding gap is not addressed.
Reports this week suggested the prime minister had convened senior advisers to explore ways to close the shortfall, including possible changes to fiscal rules to allow higher defence spending. However, the government has publicly insisted that those fiscal rules remain fixed.
Pollard said work on the plan was ongoing and acknowledged frustration over the delays, adding that both he and the defence secretary wanted it published as soon as possible, but stressed that more work was required to finalise the proposals.
He also confirmed that the delays are affecting the UK’s flagship next-generation fighter jet project. The Tempest aircraft is being developed under the Global Combat Air Programme in partnership with Italy and Japan. Ministers were expected to sign a trilateral contract last year, but this has not yet happened due to uncertainty over funding and planning.
The Tempest programme is seen as critical to replacing the Typhoon fighter jet and sustaining the UK’s aerospace and defence manufacturing base. Decisions on investment in the project are closely linked to the defence investment plan.
Pollard was speaking as the government announced £80m in new funding to support university places in key defence-related subjects such as engineering and computer science. The move is aimed at tackling skills shortages across the defence and security sectors and strengthening the long-term workforce needed to deliver major military programmes.