Defence review delays undermine Britain's credibility with its allies, MPs warn, as report finds £6billion tank may never be used

Published: 11:00, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 11:14, 7 June 2026 Delays in publishing a report outlining government defence spending have undermined the UK's credibility with its allies, a committee of MPs has said. The public accounts committee, which scrutinises government spending, also found a £6.3billion tank programme may not produce military equipment that is 'fit for purpose'. Its report concluded the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had been 'unable to move quickly and assuredly' to develop a 'stronger deterrent' to adversaries to equip the armed forces for the modern battlefield. Though the MoD published its Equipment Plan for 2023 to 2033 three years ago it has not yet followed up with the promised Defence Investment Plan (DIP). That document will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade and follows last June's publication of the wide-ranging strategic defence review. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday the DIP, originally due to be published last autumn, would be released before a Nato summit on July 7. But Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the committee's chair, said whatever the content of the DIP when it came, 'the damage from its absence has already been done' to the 'nation's credibility' and to the armed forces. He added: 'Any government minister attempting to explain away this delay to the DIP should instead ask themselves what message the bureaucratic drift of the past months has given to the public, as well as the UK's allies and its adversaries, and simply apologise.' Defence Secretary John Healey faced criticism of his department from a committee of MPs who warned a delay in publishing a key investment plan had undermined the nation's credibility overseas The public accounts committee also found a £6.3billion tank programme might not deliver equipment that is 'fit for purpose' His committee also said the plan's delay undermined public confidence in higher defence spending because it could not demonstrate that it was achieving value for money for the taxpayer. Defence Secretary John Healey told Parliament on Monday that Sir Keir was 'determined to publish' the DIP. But Sir Geoffrey said the nation had now 'gone years without a credible plan for UK military capability'. And his committee's report said defence contractors were raising prices amid global instability which could mean the Government paying more if decisions continue to be delayed. On Friday Sir Keir promised a 'step up' in defence spending despite reports his Government has watered down the DIP by £3billion. It was suggested the plan could lay out an extra £15billion in defence spending rather than the expected £18billion because of concerns over the state of the public finances and the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East. An MoD spokesman said that since Labour came to office two years ago the Government had signed more than 1,400 major defence contracts, adding it was providing 'a generational increase in defence spending' to ensure 'no return to the hollowed-out armed forces of the past'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, pictured on a visit to a defence technology company in Swindon, has promised a 'step up' in defence spending The committee's report also told the MoD it should explain how it expects its Ajax tanks can be made fit for purpose after it placed 'unrealistic expectations' on how soldiers could operate them safely. In November last year a training exercise using the tanks was stopped after 33 soldiers suffered medical problems from noise and vibration. Five were still under medical review when MoD officials appeared in front of the committee in March. Soldiers have been told to conduct maintenance checks every time they stop the tanks to address the issue, the report said. But Sir Geoffrey called the measure 'an insult to intelligence' and the report said the MoD's expectation 'seems unreasonable' given soldiers use the tanks for long periods during combat. Though the ministry said it would develop a package of upgrades, the committee's report said members would 'wait to see, more in hope than expectation, whether these endeavours will succeed'. Sir Geoffrey added: 'Our thoughts are with all those soldiers who reported symptoms from noise and vibration after operating these vehicles, and we were frankly astounded to hear officials explain that proper use of Ajax requires maintenance checks every time it is stopped. 'The MoD must now explain how it will make Ajax fit for purpose, and how much this will cost.' Ajax tanks were expected to be operational by 2017 but the programme has been repeatedly set back by soldier safety concerns. Just weeks after the tanks were cleared for operations in November last year an exercise had to be halted because soldiers fell ill because of noise and vibration. Around 310 soldiers needed hearing assessments after the war game on Salisbury Plain and 17 were treated for hearing loss. The committee's report noted Exercise Titan Storm, also in November last year, when 33 were taken ill. A further soldier suffered injury from noise and vibration in December last year. Dozens of soldiers have reported injuries from noise and vibration since the Ajax tanks were cleared for operations in November last year Trials continued in April under strict new rules which included limiting testing to highly controlled environments. An official investigation into the Salisbury Plain incident found a combination of issues including loose engine bolts, track problems and potential carbon monoxide gas leaks were to blame. The investigation also discovered faulty headsets, variable training for troops and exposure to cold temperatures. Criticising the Government for its expectations of soldiers using the tanks, the committee's report said: 'Armoured vehicles which injure soldiers when they are operated outside rigid parameters will be of little use on the modern battlefield. 'The department discussed a potential package of "Ajax 2" improvements, but there is a risk that it ends up having to spend even more than it planned in the hope of salvaging something from the Ajax programme.' The report added that the MoD believed there were 'no safety concerns about Ajax provided it was operated and maintained correctly within its design parameters'. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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