Labour Budget Cuts on the Modernisation of the UK's Armed Forces

[Social Media]

 

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is bracing itself for significant budget cuts aimed at modernising the Armed Forces. The Telegraph has revealed that these cuts, estimated at around 20 percent, will affect the budgets for science, technology, and research and development, potentially amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds. These reductions have raised alarms within the defence industry, as they threaten to impede the UK's ability to keep pace with its global adversaries and allies.

 

The cuts are expected to lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs, and the Minerva project, which aims to launch new satellites into space to enhance military intelligence, is now under threat. The news has fueled growing concerns that the UK’s Armed Forces may fall behind in the technological race, particularly when compared to adversaries like China and Russia, as well as allies such as the United States.

 

Rachel Reeves, a prominent figure in Labour, has instructed government departments to find £5.5 billion in savings this year to address what she claims is a £22 billion financial deficit inherited from the Conservative government. While the Conservatives had pledged to increase defence spending from around 2.2 percent of GDP to 2.5 percent by 2030, Labour has not committed to a specific timeline for achieving this target.

 

The timing of these cuts is particularly troubling given the growing threats the UK and the West face from foreign states. There are widespread concerns that Iran and its proxies are preparing to attack Israel, with Britain among the nations working to dissuade Tehran from taking such action. A UK defence source warned, "Without these investments in cutting-edge tech, the Armed Forces risk falling further behind not only our adversaries like China and Russia, but also our peers like the Americans. This is going to make our Armed Forces less capable and mean the UK is less safe and less secure."

 

The cuts have also sparked concerns among former Conservative defence secretaries. Sir Ben Wallace expressed his alarm, stating, "Unless Rachel Reeves commits to 2.5 percent of GDP with a timeline, the cuts to R&D will be a drop in the ocean compared to what will happen to the rest of the defence budget. They are facing massive cuts." Sir Gavin Williamson echoed these sentiments, emphasizing, "This is deeply concerning. When we’re facing ever-increasing threats, and we see the technologies on the battlefield advancing so rapidly, this isn’t the time to be making cuts in cutting-edge science and tech.

 

We need to make sure our forces have the very best equipment and advantage on the battlefield. We need to hear quite clearly from Labour when the 2.5 percent target is going to be delivered, because we shouldn’t be seeing cuts – we should be seeing an investment and expansion of our Armed Forces, including in science and technology."

 

Surrey Satellite Technology, a company involved in the Minerva satellite project, has also expressed concern over the potential cuts. Sir Martin Sweeting, the founder and executive chairman of the firm, has written to Maria Eagle, Labour’s defence procurement minister, urging her not to scale back the project. The Minerva project, initiated in 2022 with a £22 million contract, involves launching a series of satellites into space to enhance Britain's information-sharing and intelligence-gathering capabilities. While one satellite is set to launch as planned this week, the future of a second satellite remains uncertain due to the lack of a government decision.

 

Minerva is not the only project at risk. The development of Britain’s new "drone killer" radio wave weapon is also in jeopardy, as reported by The Telegraph last month. Additionally, the future of the Tempest next-generation fighter jet project is unclear, with no guarantees from ministers that it will proceed, despite lobbying from Italy and Japan, who are collaborating with the UK on the development of the aircraft.

 

The warning about the 20 percent cut to the research and development budget and the science and technology budget was first issued during the election campaign in June when a Labour victory seemed likely. Officials were informed of the pressure to reduce spending, and this news soon reached industry figures. The budgeting pressures within the MoD have intensified since Labour came into power.

 

A ministry spokesperson disputed the accuracy of the 20 percent figure, describing it as "incorrect" but offered no explanation as to why civil servants were briefed on it. The spokesperson added, "This Government will secure Britain’s defences for the future, while increasing defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP as soon as possible."

 

These cuts are part of a broader defence spending squeeze, with contracts worth more than £50,000 now requiring ministerial approval, a significant reduction from the previous threshold of £2 million, as reported by the i newspaper. Labour has announced a strategic defence review, which is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

 

Defence companies have raised concerns that the timing of this review presents challenges for the MoD, which must make decisions on military spending by the end of the current financial year in March. However, defence ministers have refrained from making public assurances about specific projects, indicating that decisions will be postponed until the review is complete.

 

The defence budget had already been under considerable strain during the Conservative government, with soaring inflation eroding funds allocated years ago and driving up the cost of equipment. A spokesman for Surrey Satellite Technology highlighted the potential consequences of the cuts, stating, "We are concerned that a reduction in budgets could impact future UK defence space procurements and [about] the impact that it will have on defence export opportunities. If the Government wants to grow the UK space industry, then it is important that it has sufficient internal programmes and promotes export opportunities."

 

Despite the concerns raised, the MoD has maintained its commitment to the development of satellite-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. However, the uncertainty surrounding these budget cuts and their potential impact on key defence projects has left many in the industry and the Armed Forces apprehensive about the future.

 

The UK's ability to maintain its technological edge in defence is critical, especially in an era of rapidly advancing military technologies and evolving global threats. As the UK navigates these budgetary challenges, it will be essential to strike a balance between fiscal responsibility and ensuring that the Armed Forces are equipped to meet the demands of modern warfare. The decisions made in the coming months will have far-reaching implications for the UK's defence capabilities and its position on the global stage.

 

Credit: Daily Telegraph  2024-08-15

 

 

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[BritManToo]

I'd cut the armed forces by 100%, what use are they?

[Bkk Brian]

41 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'd cut the armed forces by 100%, what use are they?

So the Falklands would now be in the hands of Argentina and the UK annexed by Germany. Great idea coming from a self confessed extreme left Marxist.

[herfiehandbag]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is bracing itself for significant budget cuts aimed at modernising the Armed Forces. The Telegraph has revealed that these cuts, estimated at around 20 percent, will affect the budgets for science, technology, and research and development, potentially amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds.

Labour has announced a strategic defence review, which is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Defence Moratorium, Peace Dividend, Front Line First, Options For Change, Strategic Defence Review, or as they were commonly known : OP BOHICA.

 

Bend Over Here It Comes Again!

[James105]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

Rachel Reeves, a prominent figure in Labour, has instructed government departments to find £5.5 billion in savings this year to address what she claims is a £22 billion financial deficit inherited from the Conservative government

 

Isn't this the same person who has just given £10bn worth of inflation busting pay rises to the public sector despite their productivity being nearly 7% lower than 2019 levels?  

 

The clowns in the big top continue to be clowns.   Quelle surprise.  

[thaibeachlovers]

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

We need to make sure our forces have the very best equipment and advantage on the battlefield. We need to hear quite clearly from Labour when the 2.5 percent target is going to be delivered, because we shouldn’t be seeing cuts – we should be seeing an investment and expansion of our Armed Forces, including in science and technology."

Technology is a bottomless pit for finance. No matter how fast the UK runs it will never keep up with the US or China.

Perhaps, if they hadn't built two huge targets, there might be some money left for making the forces an occupation people want to join. Without people, technology won't be worth a damn.

 

IMO the future for the army is smaller special forces type units, as vehicles are just targets. Sneak in, blow things up and get out, or sneak in, target things for missiles, blow them up and get out.

 

For those that don't want to be sneaky, the military always needs support troops, and lots of them, but if the conditions are bad and the pay rubbish, who will be interested?

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'd cut the armed forces by 100%, what use are they?

Ask yourself that when you are sitting on your roof because of a flood and no one comes to rescue you.

Apparently you, like most civilians, don't know what the military are actually useful for.

 

BTW, you might change your mind when the enemy that didn't cut their forces by 100% makes you do slave labour for the rest of a miserable life.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Ask yourself that when you are sitting on your roof because of a flood and no one comes to rescue you.

Apparently you, like most civilians, don't know what the military are actually useful for.

 

BTW, you might change your mind when the enemy that didn't cut their forces by 100% makes you do slave labour for the rest of a miserable life.

Which enemy is this?

If it's the Germans ..... They can't be any worse than the Conservatives or Labour!

Edited August 15 by BritManToo

[thaibeachlovers]

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

Despite the concerns raised, the MoD has maintained its commitment to the development of satellite-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

Soooo, one day in the future, the boffins detect a large enemy force approaching, but when they go to call out the forces to defend the homeland there is no one to answer the phone.

 

Perhaps it'll just be a battle between their battlebots and our battlebots, and which ever side wins gets to make all the other side their slaves.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Which enemy is this?

If it's the Germans ..... They can't be any worse than the Conservatives or Labour!

I'm sure Britain has a large number of potential enemies, but for NZ it'll be that very large country some way to the north. We don't need technology, because we don't have anything capable of defending the country anyway. Scrapped the warplanes decades ago, not sure if we have a navy anymore ( if we do they are being very quiet about it ), and I think we might be able to scrape up a regiment ( one or two ) in a fix. Heard on the radio that they are calling for voluntary resignations to save money, but too soon for anything on the internet about it.

I think it's only much use for rescuing people off roofs in a flood now.

[James105]

18 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Which enemy is this?

If it's the Germans ..... They can't be any worse than the Conservatives or Labour!

 

Well...

 

 

[Srikcir]

Best UK sign a peace treaty with Russia now to survive future Russian expansion and retribution against supporter of NATO and Ukraine. UK Oblast anyone?

 

"UK military ‘couldn’t fight Russia for longer than two months"

• Failure to secure more funding for Armed Forces puts us at a disadvantage, warns Deputy Chief of Defence Staff.  Danielle Sheridan, March 26, 2024  https://www.telegraph.co.uk

[Purdey]

I think the Ukraine has proven that no matter the sophistication of your technology, a cheap drone can blow up a tank or a submarine.

 

[RichardColeman]

Course they have, have to pay off the train unions ! Until next time. repeat, pay off, repeat for 5 years 

[James105]

15 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Course they have, have to pay off the train unions ! Until next time. repeat, pay off, repeat for 5 years 

 

This is the person labour sent to "negotiate" who would not look out of place super glued to the road in a just stop oil protest.  She is taking credit for "amazing" negotiation skills which involved giving them exactly what they asked for without asking for any improvements to their archaic working practices.  So to push the button to make the train go and pushing another button to make the train stop is now a £70K per year job.   A 5 year old could and would have done better.    

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, James105 said:

 

This is the person labour sent to "negotiate" who would not look out of place super glued to the road in a just stop oil protest.  She is taking credit for "amazing" negotiation skills which involved giving them exactly what they asked for without asking for any improvements to their archaic working practices.  So to push the button to make the train go and pushing another button to make the train stop is now a £70K per year job.   A 5 year old could and would have done better.    

 

 

Have you ever tried getting to work in London when the Tube doesn't run?

Difference between Tube drivers and nurses, for instance, is that they know that they are essential to keep London moving, and are prepared to strike long enough to prove the point.

Also there are not many compared to nurses, who always get the pathetic wages, but if nurses got what they deserve, it would bankrupt the NHS.

[James105]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Have you ever tried getting to work in London when the Tube doesn't run?

Difference between Tube drivers and nurses, for instance, is that they know that they are essential to keep London moving, and are prepared to strike long enough to prove the point.

Also there are not many compared to nurses, who always get the pathetic wages, but if nurses got what they deserve, it would bankrupt the NHS.

 

The tube could be automated today.   Nurses cannot (yet).   

[JonnyF]

Given Labours absolutely disastrous start I wouldn't be annoying the military too much.

 

I mean, has a British government ever had a more chaotic authoritarian start? I thought this was the honeymoon period?

 

They might need the military power. And I'm not talking about illegally invading Iraq like the last Labour government. 

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, James105 said:

 

The tube could be automated today.   Nurses cannot (yet).   

The light rail is already automated, but has guards on board. I can't imagine that they'd let a tube train go without anyone on board to take over manually in an emergency, so automating the tube ( at a cost of billions ) would make zero difference union wise.