Live Updates > Live Update Details
2026-09-20 17:20:13
[Former Chief of the Royal Navy Warns: Funding Shortages Lead to Worrying Conditions for the Armed Forces; Chancellor May Abandon 3% GDP Defense Target] (1) Former Chief of the Royal Navy General Staff, Admiral Alan West, stated that the British armed forces are in dire straits due to a lack of funding. (2) The Financial Times previously reported that, given the funding shortages, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healy will abandon the target he set when he was Chancellor of Defence to allocate 3% of GDP to defense by 2030. (3) In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, West pointed out: "Our armed forces have been facing funding shortages for years, and the current situation is very bad." (4) Former Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, General Richard Dannatt, also criticized the British government, saying that Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor of the Exchequer Healy have an irresponsible attitude towards national security. (5) At the end of June, the British Ministry of Defence announced its long-term defense budget for the next four years, allocating nearly £300 billion (approximately US$400 billion) to develop various areas of the defense industry. (6) Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said that the £4.7 billion has not yet been secured and the specific source of funding will be determined in the autumn budget.
