New Defence Secretary warns colleagues 'must understand' need for military spending after Cabinet row

Britain's new Defence Secretary has warned colleagues that they “must understand” the need for an increased military budget following weeks of turmoil at the top of Government over funding.

Speaking to GB News, Dan Jarvis insisted the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) would help remedy the crisis.

Earlier this month, his predecessor as Defence Secretary, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned in protest over insufficient increases promised in the upcoming defence spending blueprint.

Mr Healey is understood to have clashed with Chancellor Rachel Reeves over funding, saying in his resignation address to the Commons: “Our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury”.

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Mr Jarvis, a Parachute Regiment veteran, was swept into the top defence job following the dramatic departures.

Asked whether ministers now fully appreciated the scale of the challenge facing the Armed Forces, he spoke plainly.

He said: “If people don't understand, then they do need to understand it because we are operating through very challenging times."

“The world is more dangerous, more difficult than at any point in my lifetime.”

“We're here in Aldershot today. This is where I started my service in the Army 30 years ago. The world is much more dangerous now than it was 30 years ago.

“That does require more resources. That does require a greater proportion of our GDP to be invested in our armed forces and our defence capabilities.”

However, the Defence Secretary shared his confidence that the Cabinet had begun to grasp the challenge.

“I think there is a general acceptance that we need to spend more on defence,” he said.

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Mr Jarvis also expressed confidence that Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to become Prime Minister, would continue to prioritise defence spending.

He said: “I've known Andy Burnham for a very long time. He's done an exceptional job in Greater Manchester as the Mayor."

“I also know how seriously he takes the defence of our nation.

“As Prime Minister, I know that he will make sure that we've got the resources that we need to defend our nation, both in terms of national security and in terms of defence.”

Mr Jarvis insisted the Government had already committed £270billion to defence during this Parliament and pledged the DIP would award further funding.

“The Defence Investment Plan will commit more, and then we'll go forward to the spending review and be able to extract more money to invest in the capabilities that undoubtedly we will need into the future,” he said.

GB News’s Charlie Peters asked the Defence Secretary about his own experience in the forces, questioning if he felt the strain of military resources then.

“I know what it's like to be in the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq and not have all of the kit that you would want to have. That is a weight of responsibility which I carry,” Mr Jarvis said.

The Defence Secretary added that ensuring service personnel have the equipment they need was central to his role.

He said: “It's my job to bring leadership to defence and make sure that we don't find ourselves in a situation that we have done previously of deploying people onto the ground in the most dangerous circumstances without the right kit, equipment and capability.

“My job right now is to deliver for the nation, to get the right resource, the right mix of capabilities and get the Defence Investment Plan published ahead of the Nato summit.

“I'm working around the clock to do that, and I'm confident that we'll land it before that Nato summit,” Mr Jarvis promised.

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