'I think everybody that's serious about defence realises that it's not enough,' Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams said
A former SAS commander has slammed Labour’s Defence Investment Plan as “not even real”.
Speaking to GB News, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams accused ministers of resorting to creative accounting to shift the issue of Britain's military readiness off the political agenda.
To that end, the ex-22 Squadron commander suggested the pledge of an additional £15billion for defence over the next four years fell well short of matching the scale of the challenge facing Britain's Armed Forces.
“I think everybody that's serious about defence realises that it's not enough,” he told Camilla Tominey.
“Of the £15billion extra that they've promised, the majority of it comes from a combination of savings and efficiencies, it's not even real,” he claimed.
Lt Col Williams agreed wholeheartedly with the GB News host’s summation that: “Smoke and mirrors have been used here.”
As such, the former special forces man questioned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s assertion that Britain was now safer thanks to the DIP.
"They conducted a review led by Lord Robertson and others, and the Government doesn't come back and deliver on it.
“We've got to believe (former MI6 chief) Alex Younger, Lord Robertson and others are right, and the Prime Minister is wrong.”
While Lt Col Williams welcomed commitments to expand drone capabilities, replenish ammunition stocks, and strengthen Britain's nuclear deterrent, he argued that the promised funding simply did not add up.
“When you list them on one side of the balance sheet, and you say, 'Here are our requirements,' and then you try to match that with the money that's been allocated, there is a hole.”
The former SAS commander said ministers expected that gap to be accommodated through future savings and economic growth, a prospect that did not fill him with confidence.
“In this particular Government's case, I haven't seen them save anything anywhere, and I haven't seen them grow the economy by the type that will deliver not just additional defence spending but additional support elsewhere to the country", he said.
Lt Col Williams also suggested Labour was attempting to neutralise defence as a political issue ahead of Andy Burnham formally taking office as Prime Minister.
“What they're trying to do politically is push defence off the main issue, say, 'We've got this sorted,' and move on to something else that suits them.”
The former special forces man believed Labour’s defence plan would not meet the approval of Nato allies at the upcoming summit.
“When they go to Ankara next week and say, 'Haven't we done well?', I suspect there may be people being polite up front", he said.
“But behind the scenes, the Americans and others are going to say, 'This is too small and too late and too slow.'”
