Armed forces facing £20bn funding gap, MPs warn

 A “culture of chaos” in the Ministry of Defence has led to a £20bn funding gap in the Armed Forces, the SNP has warned.

The warning comes after a new report from the Commons Defence Select Committee found UK armed forces require an additional £20bn in funding, with MPs suggesting the government will need to increase spending from two per cent to three per cent per year.

It suggested that spending restrictions are making it “very difficult” for UK forces to create a long-term defence strategy and that increasing funding is the “only solution.”

MPs also hit out at the “serious deficiencies in the quantities of armour, armoured vehicles and artillery available to the British army”, warning that failure to modernise the equipment would leave the country “at serious risk of being outgunned by its Russian counterpart.”

The call comes after a warning from ex-Commander of the UK’s Maritime Forces Rear Admiral Alex Burton, who said that the UK was in danger of losing its position as a “credible military power” due to a lack of cash.

Committee chair Julian Lewis said: "The Government now needs to look beyond the two per cent minimum on defence spending, and begin moving towards a figure of three per cent, to place our defence policy on a sustainable basis to meet new threats and fill existing financial ‘black holes’.”

SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes said: “It is clear from the evidence the Defence Select Committee has seen that the £20billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence budget is the result of a culture of chaos, which has seen procurement decisions made without any regard as to how they would be fully funded.

“After almost a decade in power, the Tories have shown they can’t be trusted with Scotland’s security. It is time for the UK government to get back to basics, and prioritise the North Atlantic and increasing the size of a historically low Royal Navy – Brexiteer soundbites about ‘Global Britain’ ring hollow when our neighbours are increasingly worried about the UK’s ability to undertake even the most basic defence tasks.

“The Defence Committee report also adds to the weight of evidence that the out of control Trident budget is putting an unbearable strain on the conventional defence budget, which always loses out when ever more money is needed for nuclear weapons. We must prioritise our conventional defence forces, and ensure they have the equipment and support they need to do their job.”