- Lord George Robertson, a Labour peer and former Nato Secretary General, is set to deliver a critical speech accusing Sir Keir Starmer of "corrosive complacency" regarding the UK's defence capabilities.
- Robertson, who authored the government's Strategic Defence Review, will warn that Britain is "underprepared, underinsured, under attack" and "not safe," with national security "in peril."
- He will also criticise "non-military experts" in the Treasury for "vandalism" and link the defence funding issues to an "ever-expanding welfare budget."
- The government's promised 10-year defence investment plan, intended to fund the SDR, faces significant delays and an estimated £28bn funding shortfall over the next four years.
- Other defence experts, including General Sir Richard Barrons and former defence secretary Ben Wallace, have echoed concerns about the UK's military readiness and the government's handling of defence spending.
IN FULL
