Armed Forces chief writes urgent letter to Keir Starmer amid fears over no-show defence plan

The Chief of the Defence Staff has taken the unusual step of writing directly to Sir Keir Starmer amid fears the still-unpublished Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will not be enough to fund the military.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton put his thoughts in writing to the Prime Minister ahead of Thursday - the date by which the plan was meant to be finished.

Rachel Reeves is said to have offered the Ministry of Defence (MoD) around £13billion over four years to help fund the purchase of new jets, submarines, ships, drones and missiles.

That falls billions of pounds short of £18billion - the figure which the Prime Minister is thought to be pushing for.

The sum has long been the source of a dispute between ministers - but £13billion is far short of the actual amount of extra money the military believes it needs to rebuild its ranks.

It remains unclear what the exact contents of the letter to the Prime Minister were, but it will doubtless raise further fears over military concerns about the status of the DIP, which has delayed since last autumn.

One source told Sky News Sir Richard had met fellow military chiefs on Monday to discuss the settlement.

The source alleged that at least one was not happy with the £13billion figure.

There were hopes the long-delayed DIP would be unveiled on Thursday - then Friday - but by last night evening, discussions between the MoD, Treasury and Number 10 were still said to be "live".

Talks that it would be announced at the end of the week coincided with the announcement of a new, vast drone testing centre in Swindon.

It is unclear if the Government's event in Swindon will go forward, but invitations have been issued to start-up drone firms.

Ministers have vowed to unveil the plans before the Nato summit in Turkey on July 7, but have avoided giving an exact date.

Opposition MPs have said publishing the DIP on Friday, a non-sitting day, would be a "disgrace".

Tory former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat accused Labour of hiding from scrutiny.

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Defence Minister Luke Pollard, meanwhile, claimed the Government would publish the plan "shortly".

He added: "What it will show is a Labour Government increasing defence spending, ending the hollowing out and underfunding that his Government - that he was a minister of - presided over."

It will bring "new capabilities for our Armed Forces", and fund "a stronger Britain in a more dangerous world", he added.

The Defence Minister said the DIP, once unveiled, would likely take lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, with increased investment in drones and "exquisite high-end capabilities".

Defence Secretary John Healey, speaking at a press conference after a British-Australian ministerial meeting, all but confirmed the plan would not be published on Friday.

He said: "The Speaker asserts the rights of Parliament... Parliament is there for the people.

"And when we publish really significant reports from defence, like the Defence Investment Plan, we respect parliament."

When asked if he would accept less than £18billion, he declined to give specific numbers, but said the Prime Minister "knows what defence and the nation need" and would make an announcement soon.

Those remarks came after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told the Commons the Government would be treating MPs with disrespect if the DIP was announced on a day Parliament was not sitting.

"There are strong rumours that the Government is going to produce its Defence Investment Plan on Friday. That would be an utter disgrace and an utter kick in the face to the members of this House," he said.

He added: "Once again, it seems to me we are becoming second-class citizens with the Government. I don’t want that to be the case and I hope that I’m going to be proved wrong."