Britain's armed forces have gone 'backwards' as bombshell report warns 'no money for new weapons until 2030'

Britain's armed forces are currently limited to dreaming of war preparations as a bombshell report by a former senior commander has warned there will be "no money for new weapons until 2030".

General Sir Richard Barrons, who helped author the strategic defence review, has accused the Ministry of Defence of moving "backwards" since the document's publication last June.

Speaking to The Times, the former Joint Forces Command chief warned insufficient investment was eroding the defence sector and pushing companies overseas.

The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force similarly lack the financial means to do anything beyond considering how they might restore their combat readiness, the former senior commander said.

The army possesses barely sufficient funding for conventional crewed equipment, including tanks, artillery and helicopters, but cannot afford the expendable autonomous systems that will form the bulk of future warfare capabilities.

General Sir Roly Walker, the chief of the general staff, has outlined a "20-40-40" framework for the army's future fighting power, with traditional platforms accounting for just a fifth of capability.

The remaining 80 per cent would comprise attritable equipment and consumable weapons such as kamikaze drones and loitering munitions, yet Barrons indicated the forces cannot fund this critical portion.

An army source contested this assessment, claiming significant investment was already flowing into rapid novel procurement programmes.

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, another co-author of the review, has accused Sir Keir Starmer's administration of "corrosive complacency" regarding defence matters.

Dr Fiona Hill, the third review author and former adviser to President Trump, has suggested Britain appears insufficiently resilient given escalating geopolitical tensions and emerging domestic threats.

Mr Barrons warned technologically advanced defence companies have relocated to Germany, Poland and the United States in pursuit of contracts.

He said: "There is no money now and there may not be any money for four years and so a lot of technologically brilliant companies have followed the money."

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Sir Richard also cautioned that this risked depleting the industrial capacity essential for future military transformation.

The former commander argued the MoD requires an additional £10billion annually, dismissing Chancellor Rachel Reeves's proposal to provide Defence Secretary John Healey with up to £10billion over four years as inadequate.

Fresh defence funding will not materialise until 2027, when Britain commits to spending 2.5 per cent of national income on the military, Mr Barrons explained, with subsequent years merely easing pressure rather than enabling transformation.

He praised Germany's approach, noting the country will spend approximately £165billion by decade's end, exceeding 3.5 per cent of GDP and surpassing British and French expenditure combined.

The UK remains "still either in denial or incapable of sorting itself out for the world we now live in," Mr Barrons concluded.

The MoD said: "This Government is providing the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with £270billion being invested in defence in this parliament alone, and the defence budget is growing in real terms.

"We want the UK to be the best place in the world to start and grow a defence business and since July 2024, we have signed nearly 1,200 major contracts, with 93 per cent of that spend going to UK-based companies.

“Following recommendations by the strategic defence review, the UK is spending £4 billion on boosting our drone capabilities and the upcoming defence investment plan will fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded defence programme we inherited.”

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