Former army chiefs warn Burnham Britain is not ready for war after Healey's Budget 'kicked the can down the road'
General Lord Dannatt, who said Healey is eyeing Gordon Brown-style off-the-books PFI borrowing and defence bonds to bridge the funding gap.
Three former army chiefs — General Lord Dannatt, General Sir Peter Wall and Field Marshal Lord Richards — warned that Britain's armed forces are "hobbled by dismal resources" and that Healey's refusal to set out a funding pathway until next year's spending review leaves the country dangerously exposed. Dannatt was blunt: "Russia is serious, we are not." The Budget filled a £4.7bn hole in the existing defence plan but set 3% of GDP by 2030 only as a target, with no concrete route to get there.
Healey is understood to be eyeing Gordon Brown-style off-the-books PFI borrowing and defence bonds to bridge the gap — both previously blocked by Rachel Reeves.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting insisted the Government is doing "as much as we can, as fast as we can", pointing to HMS Prince of Wales's North Atlantic deployment as proof of commitment.
Swinney separately accused the UK of leaving Scotland "defenceless", drawing a stinging rebuke from Streeting, who called it 'playing party politics with national defence and security'.
