‘Our enemies are watching!’ Former defence chief warns ‘UK is vulnerable’ after Labour ‘unable and unwilling’ to fund defence

Britain is “vulnerable” and “our enemies are watching”, a former head of the UK’s armed forces has warned.

Following the back-to-back resignations of Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns on Thursday, General Sir Nick Carter, Britain's Chief of the Defence Staff from 2018-2021, has written a letter outlining his view on the state of Britain’s defences.

Mr Healey left office after claiming the UK's defence investment plan “falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”.

He went on to take a direct swipe at the Prime Minister, warning “you have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”.

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Similarly, Mr Carns wrote: “We ask soldiers to fight for this country. In return, we owe them the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both.”

Today, in a letter to The Times, Mr Carter, who was once the most senior uniformed military adviser to then-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, said the revelations in John Healey’s resignation were “alarming”.

He said: “I cannot remember a time when the world was as dangerous as it is today.

“Our country is vulnerable. About 90 per cent of our data travels in undersea cables, we import about 40 per cent of our food and energy, and we are the subject of constant cyber-attacks on our critical national infrastructure.

“Our security is assured through the Nato alliance but if other alliance members were to replicate our behaviour the alliance would collapse.”

He continued to say that due to successive Governments hollowing out the armed forces, Britain risks becoming “Belgium with nuclear weapons” if cash is not invested now to “arrest the decline”.

He ended his letter with a warning, “our enemies are watching”.

The much-delayed Defence Investment Plan, one of the reasons for Mr Healey’s resignation, is due to explain how Britain will fund new equipment and defence infrastructure over the next decade.

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The delay has been partly attributed to the MoD reportedly asking for an extra £28billion over the next four years.

In a response to Mr Healey following his decision to leave office, Sir Keir Starmer agreed “we have to go further” but went on to say the Defence Investment Plan would deliver on its promise of delivering an increase in defence spending.

He wrote: “It will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe and the clarity the British defence industry needs to plan.

“It will make the big strategic investments we need for the long term and give the certainty which private finance needs to invest. It will allow our armed forces to transform and modernise and back them with the tools they need to change the way we fight - and to deter our enemies. And crucially, it will ensure the money spent is spent wisely and used to back jobs and growth here in Britain.

“We are backing this with the necessary investment. The increases in spending that underpin this plan will be sustainable and fair.

“They will mean significant reallocations of funding from across government departments and the right choices to protect our nation.

“Strong public finances are part of what keeps us safe - irresponsible borrowing only puts that at risk.

“Taking these decisions is never easy. I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises. I am sorry that you will not be part of that work going forward.”

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